Bench for Claude Monod I

Artist Howard Ben Tré (American, 1949-2020)

Date1992

DimensionsH: 17 1/2 in. (44.5 cm); W: 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm); L: 48 1/8 in. (122.2 cm)

MediumPatinated cast bronze and low expansion cast glass, gilding

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society

Object number

1992.18A-B

Not on View

Label TextThe preeminent sculptor of monumental cast-glass forms in the United States, Howard Ben Tré was a student of Dale Chihuly in the late 1970s. Instead of adding color to his glass, Ben Tré takes advantage of the green tint produced by the iron content of the glass, thereby rejecting the inherent transparent, glossy quality of the material in favor of a more translucent aesthetic. He then juxtaposes patinated metals and metallic oxides against the cast glass. Commissioned by the Toledo Museum of art and dedicated to the memory of Ben Tré’s friend glass artist Claude Monod (French, 1945–1990), who was killed in a hunting accident, this bench and Bench for Claude Monod II in Gallery 5 recall early olive presses. This is an allusion to Ben Tré’s fond memory of his first visit to Monod’s country home in France, which was well stocked with wines and olives. The forms also resemble millstones for grinding grain—a reference to Toledo’s Midwestern location.Published ReferencesThe Toledo Museum of Art, A Decade of Giving: The Apollo Society at The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art, 1996, p. 14, 15, repr. (col.) p. 15.

Toledo Museum of Art, Inspired Giving: The Apollo Society 25th Anniversary Exhibition, Toledo Museum of Art, 2010, p. 18, repr. (col.) 18.

Exhibition HistoryThe Toledo Museum of Art, Crossing the Boundaries: The Sculpture of Howard Ben Tre, April 30 - July 5, 1992.

The Toledo Museum of Art, A Decade of Giving: The Apollo Society at The Toledo Museum of Art, 1996, p. 14, 15, repr. (col.) p. 15.

Minneapolis (MN) Institute of Arts, Howard Ben Tre: Sculpting Space in the Public Realm, 2001 [no catalog or checklist].

Toledo Museum of Art, Inspired Giving: The Apollo Society 25th Anniversary Exhibition, October 15, 2010-February 13, 2011, p. 18, repr. (col.) 18.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Johnson, Linda L., Howard Ben Tre: Contemporary Sculpture, Washington, D.C., (The Phillips Collection), 1989.