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David Adickes, 1927 | Figurative sculptor /painter



Born in Huntsville, Texas, David Adickes earned his undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics from Sam Houston State College (now University).


The summer after graduation, he attended the Kansas City Art Institute and realized that art was what he really wanted to do.
Adickes used his G.I. Bill to study painting in Paris with modern master, Fernand Leger. He returned to Houston and began painting full-time.




In 1983, he was commissioned to make his first monumental sculpture, Virtuoso, which now resides at the Lyric Center in downtown Houston. 
Adickes also created the 76-foot tall figure of Sam Houston that stands on Interstate 45 just south of Huntsville.
David Adickes looms large in the art world - and for no small reason. His gigantic statues of historical figures have become tourist attractions from South Dakota to Virginia to his home state of Texas.
Wall Street Journal




Selected Prizes, Awards*

Houston Annual: Purchase Prize 1953, 1955 (March), 1955 (December); Cash Prize 1954; Honorable Mention 1953.
  • 1953 Purchase Prize, Beach Scene, casein and Honorable Mention, Fishermen on Beach, pastel;
  • 1954 Cash Prize, Three Figures Before a Black Boat, casein;
  • 1955 (March) Purchase Prize, Spanish Interior, oil;
  • 1955 (December) Purchase Prize, In Attendance, casein.
Texas General/Annual: Recommended for Purchase Prize 1951; Cash Prize 1951, 1954
  • 1951 Cash Prize and Recommended for Purchase Prize, Harlequins, gouache (2 figures)
  • 1954 Cash Prize, Risque-Tout, oil.
Texas Watercolor Society: Purchase Prize 1952, 1953; Cash Prize 1952; Materials Prize 1953;
  • 1952 Purchase Prize, Composition, watercolor and Cash Prize, Still Life with Coffee Urn, watercolor;
  • 1953 Purchase Prize, 7 of the Species, watercolor and Materials Prize, View of the Village, watercolor.
Texas Fine Arts Association: Purchase Prize 1953 (spring), 1953 (fall); First Prize 1956
  • 1953 (Spr Festival) Purchase Prize, Harlequins (3 figures);
  • 1953 (Fall Annual) Purchase Prize, Three by the Sea, casein;
  • 1956 First Prize, Harlequin With Banjo, oil.
Southwestern Prints and Drawings: Purchase Prize 1956
  • 1956-57 Purchase Prize, Two Men on a Beach, lithograph.
D. D. Feldman: Merit Award* 1956
  • 1956 Merit Award, The Poets.



Selected Public Collections
  • Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
  • Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas.
  • Fort Worth Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.
  • James A. Michener Art Foundation, Doleystown, Pennsylvania.
  • Longview Art Association, Longview, Texas.
  • Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas.
  • Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • Witte Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas.

















David Adickes è uno scultore statunitense.
La sua opera più famosa è la statua monumentale di Sam Houston, costruita a Huntsville, in Texas (la sua città natale).
Ha studiato presso la Sam Houston State University e il Kansas City Art Institute.
Ha viaggiato molto in Europa, Giappone, Medio Oriente, Russia e Nord Africa ed è poi tornato in Texas per insegnare arte presso l'Università del Texas di Austin.

Le sue sculture principali sono:
  • The Virtuoso (Houston, 1983).
  • The French Telephone (Houston, 1984).
  • The Stone Trumpet (Galveston, 1984).
  • The Winds of Change (Bush International Airport, Houston, 1989).
  • Sam Houston Statue (Huntsville, 1994).