About Paley

Albert Paley, an active artist for over 40 years at his studio in Rochester, New York, is the first metal sculptor to receive the coveted Institute Honors awarded by the American Institute of Architects, the AIA’s highest award to a nonarchitect. “The allure of Paley’s art comes through its intrinsic sense of integration of art and architecture,” as one noted architect stated. Paley, Distinguished Professor, holds an Endowed Chair at the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. Commissioned by both public institutions and private corporations, Paley has completed more than 50 site-specific works. Some notable examples are the Portal Gates for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, Synergy, a ceremonial archway in Philadelphia, the Portal Gates for the New York State Senate Chambers in Albany, Sentinel, a monumental plaza sculpture for Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as a 65-foot sculpture for the entry court of Bausch and Lomb’s headquarters in Rochester, NY. Recently completed works include three sculptures for the National Harbor development near Washington DC, a 130’ long archway named Animals Always for the St.Louis Zoo, a gate for the Cleveland Botanical Gardens in Cleveland, OH, a sculptural relief for Wellington Place, Toronto, Canada, Threshold, a sculpture for the Corporate Headquarters of Klein Steel, Rochester, NY, and Transformation, a ceremonial entranceway for Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Pieces by Albert Paley can be found in the permanent collections of many major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Broadly published and an international lecturer, Paley received both his BFA and MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Rochester in 1989, the State University of New York at Brockport in 1996, St. Lawrence University, in Canton, New York in 1997,and the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden in 2012.

Selected Major Commissions

2017   Breckenridge, Colorado, Exterior plaza sculpture, currently in design and production.
2016   Fire Station Wall Relief, Tamaracs, Florida, Exterior wall relief.
2013   Cedar Rapids Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Regeneration, exterior plaza sculpture,
           formed and fabricated painted steel, 19.5’ H x 43’ W x 13’ D
           Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, Rochester New York, Soliloquy,
           exterior sculpture, Centennial Sculpture Park, formed and fabricated stainless steel with a
           polychromed finish, 26’ h x 10’ diam
2012   Hershey Penn State Children’s Hospital, Hershey, Pa. The Promise, exterior plaza
           sculpture, fabricated and polychromed steel. 40’ H
           Hilo University, Hilo Hawaii, freestanding exterior entryway sculpture, 40’ H.
2011    Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, external relief sculpture, 47’ L.
           Wichita Waterwalk, Wichita, Kansas, exterior plaza sculpture, formed and fabricated
           weathering steel, stainless steel and bronze, 40’ H.
2010    24th Street Bridge Sculptures, Council Bluffs, Iowa, four freestanding exterior
            sculptures.
2009   Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, Charleston, West Virginia, freestanding exterior
            sculpture.
            Mexico Sculpture, Monterrey, Mexico, freestanding exterior sculpture
2008   Trenton Station, Trenton, New Jersey, Zenith, freestanding exterior sculpture.
            Riviera Condominiums, Fort Myers, Florida, freestanding sculpture
            Village of Hope, Orange County, California, entrance portal.
            National Harbor, Alexandria, Virginia, exterior pylon sculptures.
2007    Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, Transformation, entrance sculpture.
            Klein Steel Corporation, Rochester, New York, Threshold, exterior sculpture.
2006   National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., Good Shepard Chapel Entrance Gates.
            St. Louis Zoological Park, St. Louis, Missouri, Animals Always, exterior plaza sculpture.
2005   Memphis Museum of Art, Memphis Tennessee, Memphis Portals, exterior gates.
2004   D C Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC. Epoch, exterior
            sculpture.
            Lake Mirror Park, Lakeland, Florida. Tribute to Volunteerism, exterior sculpture.
            Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland, Ohio. ceremonial archway.
            Monahan Pacific, San Rafael, California. Volute, exterior sculpture.
            M D Anderson Ambulatory, Houston, Texas. Tree of Life, interior sculpture.
2003   Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York. Sentinel exterior sculpture.
2002   Hotel Pattee, Perry, Iowa. Reconfiguration, pair of sculptural archways for courtyard.
            Wellington Place, Toronto, Canada. Constellation, sculptural relief for façade.
            Columbia Public Library, Columbia, Missouri. Cypher, pair of entrance sculptures.
2001    Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, Florida. Cross Currents, exterior sculpture.
           99 North La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, California, Oblique, exterior sculpture.
           The Commission Project, Rochester, New York. J D Award Sculpture.
2000   Naples Museum of Art, Naples Florida. Portal Gates.
            University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. Architectural Screen.
            Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, New York. Diversity Award Sculpture and
            Medallions.
1999     Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, Stadium Gates.
            The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, Confluence, design of meeting and banquet
            space including sideboards, sconces, and mirrors.
1998     Adobe Systems, Inc., San Jose, California. Horizon, exterior sculpture, water fountain
            and lighting features for plaza complex.
            Anchorage, Alaska, The Municipality of Anchorage, Solstice, exterior sculpture.
            University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio. Symbion, exterior sculpture.
1997    San Francisco Civic Center Court House, San Francisco, California. Design of
            Rotunda Entrance Portals.
            Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Gnomon, exterior sculpture.
            American Bankers Insurance Group, Miami, Florida. Exterior Sculpture.
            Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. Sculptures, honorary awards.
            Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Entrance Portals for Alumni Hall.
1996    Bausch and Lomb Corporate Headquarters, Rochester, New York. Genesee Passage,
            exterior sculpture.
            Sony Pictures Entertainment, Culver Studios, Culver City, California. Primordial
            Reflections, exterior sculpture
1995    Federal Building, Asheville, North Carolina. Passage exterior sculpture.
1994    Federal Courthouse, Camden, New Jersey. Metamorphosis, interior sculpture for
            rotunda.
            Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. Museum Bench.
1992    Montgomery County, Maryland, Silver Springs, Maryland. Criss-Cross, exterior
            sculpture.
1991     State University, Phoenix Campus, Phoenix, Arizona. Ceremonial Gateway.
1990    AT&T, Promenade Two Building, Atlanta, Georgia. Olympia, exterior sculpture.
            Roanoke Airport, Roanoke, Virginia. Aurora, exterior sculpture.
            Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama. Confluence, exterior sculpture.
1989    City of Rochester, New York. Main Street Redevelopment Project. Bridge Railings.
            Naples/Marco Philharmonic Building, Naples, Florida. Main Entrance Doors.
1988    Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York. Window Screen.
            Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, New York. Convergence, interior
            sculpture.
            State of Connecticut, Hartford Superior Court Building, Hartford, Connecticut. Hexad,
            interior sculpture.
1987     Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, Houston, Texas. Eight Stairway Sculptures.
            Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, Milk Street Station, Boston, Massachusetts.
            Entrance Gateway.
            Museum Towers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Synergy, exterior archway sculpture.
1986    Gannett Publishing Corporation, Washington, DC. Bronze Wall Relief
            New York State, New York State Governor's Art Awards.
1985    Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia. Pedestrian and Vehicular Entrance
            Gates.
            The Willard Building, Washington, DC. Interior sculpture, Door Handles.
1984     Light Rail Transit System of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Poster Cases.
            Harro Theater East, Rochester, New York. Conclave, exterior sculpture.
1983    Hyatt Grand Cypress Hotel, Orlando, Florida. Stair Enclosure.
            Clyde's Restaurant, Tyson's Corner, Virginia. Fountain.
            Merritt Gallery, Rochester, New York. Entrance Gate.
            Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC. Gates.
1982    Strong Museum, Rochester, New York. Exterior sculpture.
1981     Pennsylvania Avenue Redevelopment Corporation, Washington, DC. Tree Grates
            and Benches for Pennsylvania Avenue.
1980    New York State Senate Chambers, Albany, New York. Two pair Portal Gates.
            Prospect Place, Washington, DC. Exterior Clock.
1979    Clyde's Restaurant, Tyson's Corner, Virginia. Pergola, Banisters, and Railings, Push
            Plates for revolving doors.
1978    City of Philadelphia, Redevelopment Authority, Security Screens.
1976    Gannett Corporation, Inc., Corporate Headquarters, Rochester, New York. Fireplace
            Hood.
1975    Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee. Sculpture Court Enclosure.
1974    Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art,
           Washington, DC. Portal Gates.
           Selected Permanent Collections
           Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama
           The British Museum, London, England
           Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio
           Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware
           Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan
           Cambridge University, The Fitzwilliam Museum, England
           Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
           Gannett Publishing Corporation, Washington, DC
           High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
           Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee
           Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
           The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
           Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
           Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, Minnesota
           Museum of Art , Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
           Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
           Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, Massachusetts
           Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, Texas
           The Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey
           Philadelphia Archdiocese, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
           Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
           Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC
           Strong Museum, Rochester, New York
          Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio
          Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
          Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England
          Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia
          The White House, Washington, D.C.
          Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts
          Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, Wisconsin
          Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Connecticut

Selected Awards

2010   American Craft Council Gold Metal Award for consummate craftsmanship.
1997    Smithsonian Institution, Masters of the Medium Award, Washington, DC
1995    American Institute of Architects (AIA), Institute Honors Recipient, Lifetime Achievement
            Award
            National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Citation for Distinguished Service in
            the Visual Arts
1994    American Craft Council (ACC), Inducted to the College of Fellows
1982    American Institute of Architects (AIA), Award of Excellence

Selected Exhibitions

2014     Albert Paley Retrospective, The Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C.
2013     The Fund for Park Avenue, Paley on Park Avenue, 13 monumental sculptures exhibited
             along the median of Park Ave, NYC.
2012      Albert Paley Sketches & Steel, The Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, Florida.
2011       Albert Paley Sculpture, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, Florida.
2010      Albert Paley in the 21st Century, Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester,
              Rochester, New York
              Albert Paley: Celebrating a Contemporary American Sculptor, Joslyn Museum of Art,
              Omaha, Nebraska
              Geometric, Staccato and Lyrical: The Sculpture of Albert Paley, The Clay Center,
              Charleston, West Virginia
2009-10 Albert Paley: Dialogue with Steel, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, New Jersey
2008-09 Monumental Forms: Drawings, Models and Sculptures, Academy Art Museum, Easton,
               Maryland
2008      American Modernist Jewelry 1940-1970, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne,
               Indiana
               Rococo: The Continuing Curve 1730-2008, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum,
               Washington DC
2007-09 Craft in America: Expanding Traditions, Craft in America Inc., traveling exhibition
               In the Shadow of the Alps, St. Urban, Switzerland
2007-08 Ornament as Art: Avant Garde Jewelry From the Helen Williams Drutt Collection, The
               Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
2007      Albert Paley Portals & Gates, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
2006      Open Spaces, Vancouver Biennale, Vancouver, British Columbia
2005      Transformations, the Language of Craft, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia
2004      Art Toronto, 2004, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2003      Second International Sculpture Exhibition, Chetumal and Colima, Mexico
1999       Conju International Biennial ’99, Conju City, Korea
1997        Albert Paley: Selected Works, Fine Art Society, London, England
               Art Expo Chicago, Selected Work from the Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
1996       Art to Art: Paley, Dine, and Statom, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio.
              Age of Steel: Recent Sculpture by Albert Paley, Museum of Art, Brigham Young
              University, Provo, Utah
              International Art Exhibition, Won-Kwang University, Iri City, Republic of South Korea
1993      Sculpture by Albert Paley, San Antonio Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas
              Towards a New Iron Age, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
1992       Albert Paley: Recent Sculpture, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida,
              Gainesville, Florida
             “Design Visions,” exhibition in association with The Second Australian International Crafts
              Triennial, Perth, Australia
              Tokyo Art Expo, exhibition of sculpture and project documentation. Tokyo, Japan.
1989      Albert Paley, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, Wales
1986-87 Design in America, a cultural exchange exhibition in Yugoslavia, sponsored by US
              Information Agency, Washington, DC
1986      First World Congress of Iron, Aachen, West Germany
1976       Invitational Exhibition, Zlatarna Celje, Celje, Yugoslavia. Design Award.
              Monograph
              Ratcliff, Carter. Albert Paley in the 21st Century. Rochester, New York: Paley Studios
              Ltd., 2010
              Lucie-Smith, Edward. The Art of Albert Paley: Iron, Bronze, Steel. New York: Abrams,
              Inc., 1996
              Kuspit, Donald. Albert Paley Sculpture. Milan: Skira, 2006

Publications

Sims, Patterson. Albert Paley on Park Avenue. Milano, Italy. Silvana Editoriale, 2013
Gilbert, Lela. Albert Paley Reconfiguration. Pintaubo Press, 2008.
Shearer, Linda. Albert Paley Threshold. Milan: Skira, 2008.
Rowe, M. Jessica. Albert Paley Portals and Gates. Ames, Iowa: University Museums,
Iowa State University, 2007.
Kuspit, Donald. Albert Paley: Sculpture. Milan, Italy: Skira, 2006.
Yarrington, James ed. Sentinel: The Design, Fabrication, & Installation of the
Monumental Sculpture by Albert Paley at Rochester Institute of Technology, NY. New
York: RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press, 2005.
FSU Museum of Fine Arts. Albert Paley: Sculpture, Drawings, Graphics, and Decorative
Arts. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida State University, 2001.
BYU Museum of Art. Albert Paley: Age of Steel. Utah: Brigham Young University, 1996.
Memorial Art Gallery. Inspiration & Context: The Drawings of Albert Paley. Rochester,
New York: University of Rochester, 1994.
Selected Film and Video
2013 Craft In America, Forged, Produced by Carol Sauvion, PBS
2013 Albert Paley on Park Avenue, Produced by Brianna Byrne, WXXI, Local Broadcast and
international Internet distribution May – June 2013.
2006 Machi, Tony, Albert Paley: In Search of the Sentinel. Produced and directed by Tony
Machi, Machi and Machi Productions. Winner of a Golden Eagle Award and a New York
State Emmy Award. (Approx. 60 min. High Definition video) PBS National Broadcast.
1999 Machi, Tony, Albert Paley: Man of Steel. Produced and directed by Tony Machi, Machi
and Machi Productions. (Approx. 57 min. video color/sound) PBS National Broadcast,
January 12, 2001.
1994 Albert Paley - Metal Artist. NHK TV (Japanese Public Television). In Japanese (Approx.
20 min., HDTV color/sound).
1987 Albert Paley's Albany Gates. Produced and directed by Bill Rowley (58 min.,
16mmcolor/sound).
Education
2012 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, The University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
1997 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, State University of New York at Brockport, Brockport,
New York
1996 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York
1989 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
1966-69 Master of Fine Arts, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1962-66 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania