For most of his life, Harold Rittenberry Jr. has called Athens home. His art, displayed throughout the city and beyond, has become part of the landscape he has known for decades.
Now, Rittenberry’s work and story come together in a new publication from the Georgia Museum of Art, “Harold Rittenberry: Love Is All.”
Published in August, the 200-page hardcover book is the first monograph dedicated to the Athens artist. It explores Rittenberry’s sculptures, paintings, drawings, wood carvings and masks while documenting the life and artistic career of the self-taught artist. At the center of Rittenberry’s work is a simple philosophy: “love is all.”
“I’m not trying to do it for myself,” Rittenberry said. “I try to do it for the public.”
That accessibility has long been part of his approach. Before his work gained attention from collectors and institutions, Rittenberry attracted the attention of passersby who visited his Athens home, where he transformed his front lawn into his “Spirit Yard.”
The yard became an ever-changing display of his creations, giving the community an opportunity to encounter his art outside a traditional gallery.
The Georgia Museum of Art is among the institutions that hold his work. Its collection includes a large sculpture resembling a birdcage near the museum’s side entrance and a bench in the outdoor breezeway.
Jessica Smith, assistant editor for the Georgia Museum of Art, said she appreciates Rittenberry’s dedication to letting his art speak for itself.
“In an age when so many artists feel pressured to commodify themselves, Harold demonstrates that life as an artist can be possible if you stay focused and true to your vision,” Smith said.
Rittenberry said he is grateful to have spent his life in Athens and to be surrounded by the community.
Hillary Brown, the Georgia Museum of Art’s director of communications, said the museum has a history of highlighting artists who deserve greater national recognition. Brown said Rittenberry deserves to be better known.
“Mr. Rittenberry’s status as a lifelong Athenian, a homegrown hero, meant that we were the right institution to take on this project,” Brown said.
The publication also includes photographs of Rittenberry’s towers, benches and gates, along with lesser-known works that reveal other sides of his artistic practice.
“It’s an honor to recognize such a deserving and prolific artist,” Smith said.
For Rittenberry, though, the meaning of art extends beyond any single sculpture or medium.
When asked what art means to him, his answer was simple.
“Everything,” Rittenberry said.