New Being

"New Being", a depiction of a kneeling woman with a raised arm, is cast in bronze, after an original carved in red marble. The artist's tool marks are visible on the surface of the sculpture. Although he worked in many mediums, de Creeft always returned to carving. This might trace back to his early art training—after his father’s death, the eleven-year-old de Creeft helped support his family by carving small nativity figures. This led to his apprenticeship with a wood carver who worked in local churches. In another formative experience, he encountered a group of Eskimos camping outside his town at age 16. Struck by their craftsmanship, he noted, “with tiny pieces of ivory they made monumental carvings.”