The Human Condition: The Stephen and Pamela Hootkin Collection Sept. 2014 | Page 165

Zimmerman, Arnie
American; (b. 1954, Poughkeepsie, NY; lives in New York City, NY)
1979 MFA New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University, Alfred, NY
1977 BFA Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO

Arnie Zimmerman is primarily known for his totemic clay sculptures whose immense physicality
demands from viewers an equally physical response. Inspired by Romanesque architecture,

SELECTED REFERENCES:
Collischan, Judy. Clay Bodies:

particularly north-central Italian cathedrals, Zimmerman’s sculptural works reach as high as nine

Barry Bartlett, Peter Gourfain,

feet and can weigh almost a thousand pounds. Surface treatment and a quality of rhythm is

Arnie Zimmerman. Purchase:

characteristic of Zimmerman’s sculptures. From his large columns to his diminutive teapots, a

Neuberger Museum of Art, 1999.

repetition of shape emerges in regulated intervals on the surface of the artist’s clay sculptures.

Priest, Ellen. “Profile: Arnold

Around 1996 Zimmerman moved from his oversized works, that some say resembled human

Zimmerman.” American Ceramics

figures, to salt-fired porcelain figurines, which demonstrate delicate modeling techniques rather

2, no. 3 (1983): 19–25.

than evidence of deep clay carving. The artist has received fellowships from The Louis Comfort

Zimmerman, Arnold.

Tiffany Foundation (2005), New York Foundation for the Arts (1999, 1991, 1987), National

“Bio.” Arnie Zimmerman.

Endowment for the Arts (1990, 1986, 1982), and the Connecticut Commission on the Arts (1981).
Additionally, Zimmerman was awarded an Artist Grant for residency in Portugal through the

Accessed April 17, 2014.
http://www.arniezimmerman.com/
artist/bio.php

Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund (1992) as well as an American Embassy (Portugal) Travel
Grant (1990). Zimmerman’s work can be found in the following collections: American Craft
Museum, New York; Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York; Los Angeles County Museum
of Art; The Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred, New York; Detroit Institute of Art; Mint Museum
of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina; and the Museum of Decorative Arts, Montreal, Quebec.

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ARNIE ZIMMERMAN WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION

The Fools' Congress, Part 2
Artscene, Chazen Museum
of Art. “Collection Acquisitions
and Highlights.” October, 2011.
Collischan, Judy. Clay Bodies:
Barry Bartlett, Peter Gourfain,
Arnie Zimmerman. Purchase:
Neuberger Museum of Art, 1999.

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