Abigail Gumbiner worked as a metal and multi-media sculptor in the 60's and 70's while being involved in the early EarthWorks and Conceptual Movements in the California Bay Area. She developed her photography skills during this time to capture the temporary images of those fleeting works, leading her to experimental photography in her hand-built darkrooms.
A rare woman welder during her formative years, she studied at the California College of Art, The Boston Museum School (now Tufts) and received a BA in Art from UC Berkeley, continuing her post graduate studies at the UC Extension in the Bay Area. Along with her constant sculpture and photography, she drew for many years while raising her daughter, the filmmaker Tamar Halpern.
In 2012, Abigail combined the magnetic forces of sculpture and photography into a new body of work. The series used her photography of thousands of 1950's automobiles, which she printed in her studio and then hand-sculpted into ethereal and dynamic shapes.
Drawing inspiration from John Chamberlain, Frank Stella, Franz Kline and other abstract artists who have pushed boundaries, the reflections and metallic boldness of these automobiles sparked her sculpture creation. Her work is owned by several private collectors and museums.
"The third dimension changes the relationships within the photograph as the sculpture takes on a life of its own."
CODA:CHROME Radical Sculpture for People and Walls Costumes designed by Francine LeCoultre using Abigail's artworks. Photography Vern Evans.
Solo Shows Roadside Attractions, LA Art Core 2019 Coda:Chrome Radical Sculpture for People and Walls. September Brewery Arts Complex, Los Angeles 2016 PierceModern Gallery, Paso Robles, CA, 2013 Neon Museum of Art, Las Vegas: Nevada’s Neon Edens 2005 Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles: Nevada’s Neon Edens 2004 Nevada Historical Society, Reno photo show 2003 Tohono Chul Gallery, Tucson, solo photo exhibit from the book Vacant Eden 1998 Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, solo exhibit of 45 photos from Vacant Eden 1997 Eleanor Jeck Gallery, Tucson, solo photo exhibit 1997
Group Shows The Allbright Members Club, West Hollywood, 2020-2022 Jamestown, Rhode Island Art Center, curated by Annu Matthew July 2018 San Luis Obispo Museum of Art Sculpture Show 2018 LArtcore Gallery, Los Angeles, July, 2018 LArtcore Gallery, Los Angeles, July, 2017 CCSG gallery, co-sponsered by San Luis Obispo Museum of Art 2017 Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, juried show, 2012 Art of Photography, San Diego, Chief Curator, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco 2012 San Francisco Photo Alliance, 2009 Shidoni Sculpture Galleries, Santa Fe, photography shows, 2007 I-5 Gallery, Los Angeles, invitational 2004 Patricia Carlyle Gallery, Santa Fe, photo show, 2002 Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, invitational sculpture show, 2002-2003 Arizona Arts Commission award, traveling show of Vacant Eden, various museums and galleries 2001-2002 Shidoni Sculpture Galleries, Santa Fe, metal sculpture, 1996 Susan Street Gallery, Encinitas, sculpture show, 1996 Valerie Miller Gallery, Palm Desert, sculpture shows, 1994, 1995 Tesoro Gallery, Beverly Hills, 1992 Photo USA San Diego, San Francisco, Beverly Hills and Pasadena Civic Exhibits, 1970’s-80’s
Publications, Grants, Museum Purchases The Handmade Photograph, featured and cover premier issue, April 2014 Visiting artist/instructor, Pima Community College, Tucson 2003-2005 Nevada Museum of Art purchased 6 images from Vacant Eden for permanent collection, Altered Landscapes Artist in Residence Grant, Tucson Arts District Partnership, 1998, 1999 Los Angeles Times book review, 1998 Vacant Eden, Roadside Treasures of the Sonoran Desert, photographs of vintage Tucson motels BalconyPress,1997 Lingo Magazine #5 Spring 1996
Education Univ. of California, Berkeley, BA Fine Art, sculpture California College of Art, Oakland School of the Boston Museum of Fine Art, Tufts, Boston
Video Abigail Gumbiner's sculpted photography process by David H. Wells Link to LA Art Core show