Introduction
Peter Rockwell (September 16, 1936 – February 6, 2020) was an American sculptor, and the author of several books about stone carving. He was associated with the Norman Rockwell Museum, named for his father.
Early life
Rockwell was born on September 16, 1936 in New Rochelle, New York, the son of Mary Barstow and painter and illustrator Norman Rockwell. Rockwell grew up in Vermont, where he was educated at The Putney School. He graduated from Haverford College in 1958, and he later attended thePennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Career
Rockwell became a sculptor in Rome, Italy, where he spent most of his adult life. His father was initial reluctant to see his son pursue sculpture as a profession. Rockwell left Rome and produced sculptures at the Clay Dreaming Pottery Studio in Beverly, Massachusetts. He authored several books about stone carving.
Rockwell was associated with the Norman Rockwell Museum, named for his father, where he exhibited his work. His work was also examined in The Art of Making in Antiquity: Stoneworking in the Roman World, a research project at King's College London.
His sculptures can be seen in the United States at the National Portrait Gallery, the Washington National Cathedral, Boston College, the Cathedral of the Pines. They are also held in a convent in Chioggia, Italy and at the headquarters of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property in Rome.
Personal life and death
Rockwell married Cynthia Ide, and they had four children. He died on February 6, 2020, in Danvers, Massachusetts. His funeral was held at St. Paul's Within the Walls in Rome.
Selected works
Books
- Rockwell, Peter (1994). The Art of Stoneworking. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521413329. OCLC 851064901.
- Rockwell, Peter; Rosenfeld, Stanley; Hanley, Heather (2004). The Compleat Marble Sleuth. Sunny Isles Beach, Florida: Rockrose. ISBN 978-0974794600. OCLC 646062312.
- Dehejia, Vidya; Rockwell, Peter (2016). The Unfinished: Stone Carvers at Work on the Indian Subcontinent. New Delhi, India: Lustre Press. ISBN 9789351941149. OCLC 936543987.