Moray Eel and Fish [Plaster]

Dublin Core

Title

Moray Eel and Fish [Plaster]

Subject

Animal sculpture--20th century

Description

Moray Eel and Fish, 1941
Plaster original

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Marshall M. Fredericks
1991.049

While at Cranbrook, Fredericks designed and carved this sculpture to catch water for birds. It was reported that his mentor Carl Milles wrote a letter to George Gough Booth, the founder of the Cranbrook Educational Community that said, "If you don't purchase it for Cranbrook, the Metropolitan Museum will." A carving in green granite, it was placed on the steps of the Cranbrook Art Museum and remains there today.

It received Honorable Mention in Sculpture at the "Fifty-Second Annual Exhibition of American Paintings and Sculpture," Art Institute of Chicago, 1941.

Creator

Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998

Date

1941

Rights

Use of this image requires permission from the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

Type

Sculpture

Coverage

University Center (Mich.)

Sculpture Item Type Metadata

Physical Dimensions

15" x 18" x 28"

Materials

Plaster full-scale

Catalog Number

1991.049

Object Location

Main Exhibit Gallery

Provenance

1988 March, 24 Gift to Museum and SVSU Board of Control

Notes

Molly Barth copy:
The next plaster model is The Moray Eel and Fish--an eel with the dinner that he has just caught. This was carved in green granite for the side of the steps to the Art Museum at Cranbrook, where Fredericks taught for 9 1/2 years. You know that I don't care for moray eels, but I love the forms of this sculpture, the way the moray eel goes in and out. I love the designs of this sculptural form. Fredericks had done The Moray Eel and Fish while at Cranbrook, Carl Milles saw it and wrote a letter to Booth. He said, "If you don't purchase it for Cranbrook, the Metropolitan Museum will purchase it, I know." So, of course, Cranbrook purchased it. It is at the side of the steps to the entrance to the Art Museum.

Files

1991.049.jpg

Citation

Fredericks, Marshall M., 1908-1998, “Moray Eel and Fish [Plaster],” Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, accessed November 20, 2024, https://omeka.svsu.edu/items/show/5098.