HOUSTON \u2013 Texas-born artist David Adickes was more than just a painter and sculptor \u2014 he was a creator whose giant masterpieces left a lasting impression on Houston. From the Virtuoso sculpture standing proudly in front of the Lyric Market in downtown Houston to the \u201cWe Love Houston\u201d sign and the Beatles statues in Webster, his work is impossible to miss.<\/p>\n
Before I ever knew his name, I knew the 67-foot Sam Houston statue in Huntsville, Texas. As a kid, my family often took road trips from Houston to Dallas to visit cousins. As we passed the statue along the way, I gazed in awe, thinking an artist from a century ago had built the massive statue as a tribute to the historical figure \u2014 but it was actually the work of a contemporary artist whose name I would come to know years later.<\/p>\n
About 20 years ago, when I was in college, I visited the site again. This time, I got out of the car to capture the giant statue with my camera for a photography project.<\/p>\n
he 67-foot Sam Houston statue in Huntsville, Texas, one of David Adickes\u2019 most iconic works. (Sabiha Sahar Mahmood)<\/p>\n
That memory remains one of my favorite encounters with David Adickes\u2019 great works. But to those who knew him, David was so much more than his art. He was a partner, father, mentor, friend and inspiration. <\/p>\n
I had a chance to talk to some people who knew David personally. <\/p>\n
Houston Life producer Sabiha Mahmood interviews David Adickes’ life partner, Linda Wiley and Reeves Art + Design gallery manager, Hannah Rees. (SpotOn Public Relations)Houston Life producer Sabiha Mahmood interviews project lead for Adickes conservation and repair and George DeMontrond from DeMontrond Automotive Group, lnc. (SpotOn Public Relations)<\/p>\n
Hannah Rees, gallery manager at Reeves Art + Design<\/a> and Kelley Devine, project lead for conservation and repair, describe the artist as someone who constantly found ways to make his art big, bright and bold.<\/p>\n If you look closely at his paintings and sculptures, you\u2019ll notice the subjects and structures are uniquely shaped \u2014 often formed unsymmetrically or abstractly. He drew inspiration from cubist expressionism to breathe life into pieces that are not traditionally Texan, but fun and colorful.<\/p>\n