Robert Brady

Robert Brady’s early abstract coil and pinch built figurative sculptures reference iconic spiritual and mythological imagery. These early porcelain or stoneware figures established his reputation as one of the moving forces in California’s San Francisco Bay area figurative ceramic sculpture movement. The near life-size elongated forms recall the work of sculptor Alberto Giacometti. As a result of raku firing, the figures have a patina that suggests age. In the late 1970s, Brady produced a series of distorted masks based on Mexican folk sculptures. In the 1980s his influence shifted to the Septic River figures from New Guinea and masks of the Northwest Coast. In the 1970s Brady earned his MFA at UC Davis with Robert Arneson. In 1989 Brady shifted media and began building his figures in wood. After a number of years working with wood, he returned to clay, at first working with terra cotta. At that time he also made a number of functional, wheel thrown vessels decorated with angular line drawings. Brady continues these vessel forms today (2017). On occasion, Brady makes both the clay and wire sculpture pendants with a unique lanyard. Brady continues to create bronze figurative work as well as both abstract ceramic and wood free standing and wall hung sculptures. Brady is comfortable working with all mediums, wood, clay, and bronze.