John Nelson Battenberg

BORN: December 3, 1931 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

DIED: July 8, 2012 in Scottsdale, Arizona

John Nelson Battenberg was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1931. An artist named John Goray first influenced him when Battenberg was about 10 years old. Goray moved into Battenbergs neighborhood in Kenosha, WI from Chicago, IL. Goray became his mentor, introduced him to classical music, books, and art, and encouraged him in painting. 

After high school, John chose to study painting at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. The Korean War and a brief stint in the Marine Corps interrupted his studies. By 1953, he was back to continue his education, this time at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. In 1955, he decided he wanted to use the remainder of his G.I. Bill in Europe. He found that the only government approved art school was the Ruskin School, Oxford University so he moved to England and remained at Oxford until 1957. John traveled extensively during that period and feels that his time abroad was a special time that helped to shape his views and philosophies.

In 1960, he received an MFA in painting from Michigan State University and returned to England to continue work as a painter. A few short years later, he became an artist-in-residence at Western New Mexico University in Silver City NM. It was in Silver City that John began experimenting with sculpture. 

In 1963, John, his wife and son left New Mexico to head for the San Francisco Bay Area which became his home from that point on. 

He did graduate work at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA. During the next two decades, he taught at San Jose State University, he lectured, and served as an artist-in-residence at colleges and universities worldwide. John became an innovator in establishing bronze casting on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s. 

In the 1970s, John influenced not only the establishment of bronze casting in the United States but also many young aspiring artists. In the mid 1980s, John left San Jose State and academia to pursue his career in sculpture full-time.

Although he has experimented with a wide variety of sculpture, John is well known for his Pilot Series and his sculptures of North American Wildlife. Battenberg was fascinated by the concept and art of flight from a very young age. The pilots John created in the late 60s and early 70s were making more of a statement against war. These pilots, done in aluminum and bronze, are bodiless, nameless forgotten. Pieces of their uniforms are ripped and or torn symbolizing perhaps both the physical and mental torture and futility of war. His recent pilots although still bodiless are more of a tribute to pioneer aviators. They seem to capture the spirits of the young men and women who fought, flew and sometimes died developing flight, which John considers mankinds greatest achievement.

When John decided to pursue his sculpture career full-time he started working on a new type of sculpture, which he has described as three-dimensional drawing. This type of sculpture took the form of various North American Wildlife. From wolves to bears, ravens and hawks, John has successfully captured the quintessence souls of these animals. There are many of these sculptures gracing universities, museums, public areas, private homes and business parks of North America and Europe today.

BIOGRAPHICAL CREDIT

Wikipedia

Kimberly Garrison, General Manager of Battenburg Studios, Phoenix Arizona

AskArt.com