Tony Rosenthal
Rosenthal (August 9, 1914 – July 28, 2009), also known as Tony Rosenthal, was an American sculptor known for his monumental public sculptures created over seven decades.
Also recorded as Bernard J. Rosenthal · Bernard Rosenthal
Tony Rosenthal

Funkyxian · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Tony Rosenthal
- Birth Name
- Bernard Rosenthal
- Born
- 9 August 1914
- Birthplace
- Highland Park, Illinois
- Died
- 28 July 2009
- Place of death
- Southampton, New York
- Field
- American abstract sculptor.
- Training
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Movement
- Public art sculptor
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- sculptor · artist · printmaker
- Education
- University of Michigan · Cranbrook Academy of Art
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Rosenthal (August 9, 1914 – July 28, 2009), also known as Tony Rosenthal, was an American sculptor known for his monumental public sculptures created over seven decades.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q1911607 · wikipedia · Tony Rosenthal
In this article
Biography
Biography
Tony Rosenthal studied at University of Michigan and Cranbrook Academy of Art. Places of work recorded in the authority are California and New York City. Works named in the authority record are Alamo. Work by Tony Rosenthal is recorded in the collections of Museum of Modern Art, Middelheim Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum and Whitney Museum of American Art.

Tony Rosenthal, Coal Miners (competition entry, Apex Building, Washington, D.C.)
Tony Rosenthal

Hammarskjold sculpture by Tony Rosenthal, taken outside James Hall at Brooklyn College in January 2022 at dusk.
Joeyvandernaald
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Tony Rosenthal • Birth Name — Bernard Rosenthal • Born — 9 August 1914 • Birthplace — Highland Park, Illinois • Died — 28 July 2009 • Place of death — Southampton, New York • Field — American abstract sculptor. • Training — University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan • Movement — Public art sculptor • Illustration — Tony Rosenthal's Alamo
Biography
Biography
Rosenthal was born August 9, 1914, in Highland Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Michigan in 1936 and later studied at The Cranbrook Academy of Art under Carl Milles.
Career
Career
Rosenthal received his first public art commission when he created A Nubian Slave for the Elgin Watch Company building at the 1939 World's Fair. Although Rosenthal's public art included five works in Manhattan, and numerous similar works in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Florida, Michigan, Connecticut, the artist remained elusive. In The New York Times, art dealer Joseph K. Levene said of Rosenthal: "He reminds me of a character actor. You know the face but not the name. With him, you know the art". By the time of his death at 94, he had not had a retrospective of his work. Rosenthal's works are owned by museums around the world, including: Chrysler Museum: Big Six, 1977; Connecticut College: Memorial Cube, 1972; Israel Museum: Oracle, 1960; Long House Reserve: Mandala, 1994–95, Rites of Spring, 1997; Los Angeles County Museum of Art: Things Invisible to See, 1960, Harp Player, 1950; Guild Hall of East Hampton: Cube 72, 1972; Milwaukee Art Museum: Big Six, 1977, Maquette for Hammarskjold, 1977; National Gallery of Art: Magpole,1965; San Diego Museum of Art: Odyssey, 1974; Risd Museum: Cumuli III, 1965. • Illustration — Tony Rosenthal ’’5 in 1’’, 1973–74 at One Police Plaza ©Estate of Tony Rosenthal / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Public art
Public art
Tony Rosenthal was best known for his large outdoor geometric abstract sculptures. Rosenthal's public work includes: • The Family Group, Parker Center, Los Angeles, 1955. • Orion, Fulton Mall, Fresno, 1964. • Duologue, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza Art Collection Albany, New York 1965 • Alamo, Astor Place, New York City, 1967. This "established Rosenthal as a master of monumental public sculpture, and something of a standard bearer of the contemporary structurist esthetic." He stated: "It is…important the sculpture interact with the public." • The Cube "Endover", The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1968. Gift from the University of Michigan class of 1965 and Rosenthal, an alumnus of the university (Class of 1936) • Cube 72, 1972, Guild Hall of East Hampton, East Hampton, NY, 1972 • Odyssey III, San Diego Museum of Art, California, 1973 • 5 in 1, Lower Manhattan, New York City, 1973–74 • Indiana Totem, 1989, Circle, 1987, J.S. Bach Fugure, 1991, Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, Indiana • Illustration — Photograph of art collector Martin Margulies with Tony Rosenthal ’’T-Square’’ (1978) at Grove Isle, Miami, Florida © Estate of Tony Rosenthal / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY • Hammarskjold, 1977, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York (formerly located at the Fashion Institute of Technology)
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Tony Rosenthal was born in Highland Park.
Birthplace
Tony Rosenthal died in Southampton.
Deathplace
Highland Park.
Birth place
Southampton.
Death place
Collections and holdings
Where the work is held
Collections and holdings
Institutional holdings are recorded as follows.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Tony Rosenthal”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1911607: Tony Rosenthal
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Grimes, William, Tony Rosenthal, Sculptor of Public Art, Dies at 94, New York Times, July 31, 2009.
- 2.Tony Rosenthal Biography. Tony Rosenthal Art.
- 3.Tony Rosenthal (New York, NY : Rizzoli, 2000.) pp. 58–67
- 4.American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, (New York School Press, 2003.) . p.293
- 5.The Cube "Endover" | Arts & Culture.
- 6.Grimes, William. Tony Rosenthal, Sculptor of Public Art, Dies at 94 (Published 2009). The New York Times. 2009-07-31. 0362-4331.
- 7.Cumuli III RISD Museum. risdmuseum.org.
- 8.Tony Rosenthal Copyright VAGA. www.tonyrosenthal.com.
- 9.Pacheco, Antonio. Former LAPD headquarters to be demolished after years of controversy. The Architect's Newspaper. 2018-08-10.
- 10.Empire State Plaza Art Collection.
- 11.Tony Rosenthal (New York, NY : Rizzoli, 2000.) p.6
- 12.American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, (New York School Press, 2003.) . p.290
- 13.On-Site Sculpture: On View: Indiana University Art Museum: Indiana University Bloomington. artmuseum.indiana.edu.
- 14.Simmons, Jamilah. The New Art on Campus. Brooklyn College. City University of New York. December 19, 2018.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 3
- Hunter, Sam, Tony Rosenthal, Rizzoli International Publications, Incorporated, 2001,
- Wight, Frederick S., Bernard Rosenthal, New York: Catherine Viviano, 1958.
- Marika Herskovic, American Abstract Expressionism of the 1950s An Illustrated Survey, (New York School Press, 2003.) . pp. 290–293
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
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