Robert Klippel

Sculptor

Birthday June 19, 1920

Birth Sign Gemini

Birthplace Australia

DEATH DATE Jun 19, 2001 (81)

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About

Lauded by many art critics as the greatest Australian sculptor of all time, this prolific artist crafted well over one thousand sculptures and also produced close to five thousand drawings. His assemblage sculptures, most of which were untitled, were crafted from materials such as piping, wood, and plastic.

Before Fame

During the World War II years, he enlisted in the Australian Royal Navy and was tasked with building model airplanes. In the late 1940s, he trained at University College London's Slade School of Fine Art.

Trivia

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he lived in the United States and taught at the Minneapolis School of Art.

Family Life

He grew up in Sydney, Australia, as the son of successful business owners. After living in the United States and England, he returned to his native Australia, where he died on his eighty-first birthday.

Associated With

Australian-born art critic Robert Hughes helped bring Klippel to international prominence.