67157 - Graham, Robert

Graham, Robert Pendant and Chain Robert Graham Pendant and Chain, circa 2004 24k gold Pendant dimensions: 1-3/8 x 1-1/4 inches (3.5 x 3.2 cm) Chain length: 16 inches (40.6 cm) Marks to pendant: RG, 24k 78.3 grams Robert Graham (1938–2008) was a distinguished Los Angeles sculptor who brought a fresh perspective to the naturalistic depiction of the human figure. His unapologetic celebration of the female nude departed from the conventions of academic sculpture, combining closely observed anatomy with the fragmentation of Cubism and the dynamism of Futurism. Through his attention to the surfaces of metal and the subtleties of posture, Graham gave each figure a vivid sense of movement and personality. Graham worked across strikingly different scales, from intimate figure studies to major civic monuments. His Olympic Gateway (1984) welcomed visitors to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, while the Duke Ellington Memorial (1997) in New York and the Great Bronze Doors (2002) for the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles brought his sculptural vision into public space. For the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., he created a bronze relief for the original memorial and, later, a statue of Roosevelt in a wheelchair for its Prologue addition (2001). Even in smaller works, Graham played with the relationship between figure and plinth, using their contrasting proportions to give an intimate sculpture a monumental presence. His statues can be found in museums and private collections nationally and internationally. In 2004, Graham created a suite of cast 24-carat gold medallions depicting portraits of women in relief. As an artist with a lifelong desire to take art out of the stark white walls of sometimes cold and overly intellectual art gallery, jewelry offered an especially personal medium. Portable and discreet, the medallions could accompany their wearers through daily life. Graham isolated details of the female body, bringing the close observation of his larger sculptures to an intimate scale. Raised lines follow each form like contours on a topographical map, their texture set against the smooth gold ground. The cropped compositions recall the fragmentation of his monumental work, while subtle differences in posture and surface preserve the individuality of each woman, even in miniature. Medallions have long served as tokens of devotion, remembrance, and honor, and the form was already familiar to Graham. He had designed the National Medal of Arts, first awarded in 1985, to recognize artists and patrons for their contributions. The gold medallions presented here were more private expressions of appreciation, given or sold to patrons and rarely exhibited. Although the value of artist jewelry need not rest on its materials, Graham’s choice of 24-carat gold is meaningful. Its lasting luster and warmth against the skin make these works enduring tributes to the women they depict and to the people with whom he chose to share them. Robert Graham Jewelry from the Collection of a Patron HID00307232019 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice Marks: RG, 24k circa 2004 24k gold 0in x 0in x 0in