Albert Paley, an active artist for over 40 years at his studio in Rochester, New York, is the first metal sculptor to receive the coveted Institute Honors awarded by the American Institute of Architects, the AIA’s highest award to a nonarchitect. “The allure of Paley’s art comes through its intrinsic sense of integration of art and architecture,” as one noted architect stated. Paley, Distinguished Professor, holds an Endowed Chair at the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Commissioned by both public institutions and private corporations, Paley has completed more than 50 site-specific works. Some notable examples are the Portal Gates for the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, Synergy, a ceremonial archway in Philadelphia, the Portal Gates for the New York State Senate Chambers in Albany, Sentinel, a monumental plaza sculpture for Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as a 65-foot sculpture for the entry court of Bausch and Lomb’s headquarters in Rochester, NY. Recently completed works include three sculptures for the National Harbor development near Washington DC, a 130’ long archway named Animals Always for the St. Louis Zoo, a gate for the Cleveland Botanical Gardens in Cleveland, OH, a sculptural relief for Wellington Place, Toronto, Canada, Threshold, a sculpture for the Corporate Headquarters of Klein Steel, Rochester, NY, and Transformation, a ceremonial entranceway for Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

Pieces by Albert Paley can be found in the permanent collections of many major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Broadly published and an international lecturer, Paley received both his BFA and MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. He received honorary doctorates from the University of Rochester in 1989, the State University of New York at Brockport in 1996, St. Lawrence University, in Canton, NY in 1997, and the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden in 2012.

Distinguished Professor holding the Charlotte Fredericks Mowris Professorship in Contemporary Crafts, School for American Crafts, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 

Education

2012 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, The University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

1997 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, State University of New York at Brockport, Brockport, NY

1996 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY

1989 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

1966-69 Master of Fine Arts, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

1962-66 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Selected Major Commissions

2018 Texas Tech University, Odessa, TX, exterior plaza sculpture, currently in design and production.

2017 Breckenridge, CO, Exterior plaza sculpture, currently in production.

Boynton Beach, FL, Cavalcade, exterior plaza sculpture, fabricated and steel with a polychromed finish.

2016 Fire Station Wall Relief, Tamarac, FL, Exterior wall relief.

2013 Cedar Rapids Library, Cedar Rapids, IA, Regeneration, exterior plaza sculpture, formed and fabricated painted steel, 19.5’ H x 43’ W x 13’ D

Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, Rochester NY, Soliloquy,

exterior sculpture, Centennial Sculpture Park, formed and fabricated stainless steel with a polychromed finish, 26’ h x 10’ diam

2012 Hershey Penn State Children’s Hospital, Hershey, PA. The Promise, exterior plaza sculpture, fabricated and polychromed steel. 40’ H

Hilo University, Hilo HI, freestanding exterior entryway sculpture, 40’ H.

2011 Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, external relief sculpture, 47’ L.

Wichita Waterwalk, Wichita, KS, exterior plaza sculpture, formed and fabricated weathering steel, stainless steel and bronze, 40’ H.

2010 24th Street Bridge Sculptures, Council Bluffs, IA, four freestanding exterior sculptures.

2009 Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, Charleston, WV, freestanding exterior sculpture. Mexico Sculpture, Monterrey, Mexico, freestanding exterior sculpture.

2008 Trenton Station, Trenton, NJ, Zenith, freestanding exterior sculpture. Riviera Condominiums, Fort Myers, Florida, freestanding sculpture Village of Hope, Orange County, CA, entrance portal. National Harbor, Alexandria, VA, exterior pylon sculptures.

2007 Iowa State University, Ames, IA, Transformation, entrance sculpture. Klein Steel Corporation, Rochester, NY, Threshold, exterior sculpture.

2006 National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., Good Shepard Chapel Entrance Gates. St. Louis Zoological Park, St. Louis, MO, Animals Always, exterior plaza sculpture.

2005 Memphis Museum of Art, Memphis TN, Memphis Portals, exterior gates.

2004 D C Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC. Epoch, exterior sculpture. Lake Mirror Park, Lakeland, FL. Tribute to Volunteerism, exterior sculpture. Cleveland Botanical Garden, Cleveland, OH. ceremonial archway. Monahan Pacific, San Rafael, CA. Volute, exterior sculpture. M D Anderson Ambulatory, Houston, TX. Tree of Life, interior sculpture.

2003 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY. Sentinel exterior sculpture.

2002 Hotel Pattee, Perry, IA. Reconfiguration, pair of sculptural archways for courtyard. Wellington Place, Toronto, Canada. Constellation, sculptural relief for façade. Columbia Public Library, Columbia, MO. Cypher, pair of entrance sculptures.

2001 Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers, FL. Cross Currents, exterior sculpture. 99 North La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA, Oblique, exterior sculpture. The Commission Project, Rochester, NY. J D Award Sculpture.

2000 Naples Museum of Art, Naples FL. Portal Gates. University of the South, Sewanee, TN. Architectural Screen. Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY. Diversity Award Sculpture and Medallions.

1999 Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, Stadium Gates.  The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH, Confluence, design of meeting and banquet space including sideboards, sconces, and mirrors.

1998 Adobe Systems, Inc., San Jose, CA. Horizon, exterior sculpture, water fountain

and lighting features for plaza complex. Anchorage, AL, The Municipality of Anchorage, Solstice, exterior sculpture. University of Toledo, Toledo, OH. Symbion, exterior sculpture.

1997 San Francisco Civic Center Court House, San Francisco, CA. Design of Rotunda Entrance Portals. Ohio State University, Columbus, OH. Gnomon, exterior sculpture. American Bankers Insurance Group, Miami, FL. Exterior Sculpture. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. Sculptures, honorary awards. Miami University, Oxford, OH. Entrance Portals for Alumni Hall.

1996 Bausch and Lomb Corporate Headquarters, Rochester, NY. Genesee Passage, exterior sculpture. Sony Pictures Entertainment, Culver Studios, Culver City, CA. Primordial Reflections, exterior sculpture

1995 Federal Building, Asheville, NC. Passage exterior sculpture.

1994 Federal Courthouse, Camden, NJ. Metamorphosis, interior sculpture for rotunda. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. Museum Bench.

1992 Montgomery County, Maryland, Silver Springs, MD. Criss-Cross, exterior sculpture.

1991 State University, Phoenix Campus, Phoenix, AZ Ceremonial Gateway.

1990 AT&T, Promenade Two Building, Atlanta, GA. Olympia, exterior sculpture. Roanoke Airport, Roanoke, VA. Aurora, exterior sculpture. Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL. Confluence, exterior sculpture.

1989 City of Rochester, NY. Main Street Redevelopment Project. Bridge Railings. Naples/Marco Philharmonic Building, Naples, FL. Main Entrance Doors.

1988 Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY. Window Screen. Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester, NY. Convergence, interior sculpture. State of Connecticut, Hartford Superior Court Building, Hartford, CT. Hexad, interior sculpture.

1987 Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, Houston, TX. Eight Stairway Sculptures. Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, Milk Street Station, Boston, MA. Entrance Gateway. Museum Towers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Synergy, exterior archway sculpture.

1986 Gannett Publishing Corporation, Washington, DC. Bronze Wall Relief New York State, New York State Governor's Art Awards.

1985 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA. Pedestrian and Vehicular Entrance Gates. The Willard Building, Washington, DC. Interior sculpture, Door Handles.

1984 Light Rail Transit System of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Poster Cases. Harro Theater East, Rochester, NY. Conclave, exterior sculpture.

1983 Hyatt Grand Cypress Hotel, Orlando, FL. Stair Enclosure. Clyde's Restaurant, Tyson's Corner, Virginia. Fountain. Merritt Gallery, Rochester, NY. Entrance Gate. Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC. Gates.

1982 Strong Museum, Rochester, NY. Exterior sculpture.

1981 Pennsylvania Avenue Redevelopment Corporation, Washington, DC. Tree Grates and Benches for Pennsylvania Avenue.

1980 New York State Senate Chambers, Albany, NY. Two pair Portal Gates. Prospect Place, Washington, DC. Exterior Clock.

1979 Clyde's Restaurant, Tyson's Corner, VA. Pergola, Banisters, Railings, Push Plates for revolving doors.

1978 City of Philadelphia, Redevelopment Authority, Security Screens.

1976 Gannett Corporation, Inc., Corporate Headquarters, Rochester, NY. Fireplace Hood.

1975 Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN. Sculpture Court Enclosure.

1974 Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery, National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC. Portal Gates.

Selected Permanent Collections

Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL

The British Museum, London, England

Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH

Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI

Cambridge University, The Fitzwilliam Museum, England

Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth, Australia

Gannett Publishing Corporation, Washington, DC

High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA

Hunter Museum of Art, Chattanooga, TN

Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Minnesota Museum of American Art, St. Paul, MN

Museum of Art , Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA

Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX

The Newark Museum, Newark, NJ

Philadelphia Archdiocese, Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA

Smithsonian Institution, Renwick Gallery, Washington, DC

Strong Museum, Rochester, NY

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH

Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA

The White House, Washington, D.C.

Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA

Wustum Museum of Fine Art, Racine, WI

Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT

Selected Awards

2010 American Craft Council Gold Metal Award for consummate craftsmanship.

1997 Smithsonian Institution, Masters of the Medium Award, Washington, DC

1995 American Institute of Architects (AIA), Institute Honors Recipient, Lifetime Achievement Award

National Association of Schools of Art and Design, Citation for Distinguished Service in the Visual Arts

1994 American Craft Council (ACC), Inducted to the College of Fellows

1982 American Institute of Architects (AIA), Award of Excellence

Selected Exhibitions

2014 Albert Paley Retrospective, The Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C.

2013 The Fund for Park Avenue, Paley on Park Avenue, 13 monumental sculptures exhibited along the median of Park Ave, NYC.

2012 Albert Paley Sketches & Steel, The Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL.

2011 Albert Paley Sculpture, Naples Museum of Art, Naples, FL.

2010 Albert Paley in the 21st Century, Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY

Albert Paley: Celebrating a Contemporary American Sculptor, Joslyn Museum of Art, Omaha, NE

Geometric, Staccato and Lyrical: The Sculpture of Albert Paley, The Clay Center, Charleston, WV

2009-10 Albert Paley: Dialogue with Steel, Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ

2008-09 Monumental Forms: Drawings, Models and Sculptures, Academy Art Museum, Easton, MD

2008 American Modernist Jewelry 1940-1970, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, IN

Rococo: The Continuing Curve 1730-2008, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Washington DC

2007-09 Craft in America: Expanding Traditions, Craft in America Inc., traveling exhibition In the Shadow of the Alps, St. Urban, Switzerland

2007-08 Ornament as Art: Avant Garde Jewelry from the Helen Williams Drutt Collection, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX

2007 Albert Paley Portals & Gates, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

2006 Open Spaces, Vancouver Biennale, Vancouver, British Columbia

2005 Transformations, the Language of Craft, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, Australia

2004 Art Toronto, 2004, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2003 Second International Sculpture Exhibition, Chetumal and Colima, Mexico

1999 Conju International Biennial ’99, Conju City, Korea

1997 Albert Paley: Selected Works, Fine Art Society, London, England

Art Expo Chicago, Selected Work from the Richard Gray Gallery, Chicago, IL

1996 Art to Art: Paley, Dine, and Statom, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH.

Age of Steel: Recent Sculpture by Albert Paley, Museum of Art, Brigham Young

University, Provo, UT- International Art Exhibition, Won-Kwang University, Iri City,

Republic of South Korea

1993 Sculpture by Albert Paley, San Antonio Art Institute, San Antonio, TX

Towards a New Iron Age, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England

1992 Albert Paley: Recent Sculpture, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, University of Florida,

Gainesville, FL - “Design Visions,” exhibition in association with The Second Australian International Crafts Triennial, Perth, Australia - Tokyo Art Expo, exhibition of sculpture and project documentation. Tokyo, Japan.

1989 Albert Paley, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, Wales

1986-87 Design in America, a cultural exchange exhibition in Yugoslavia, sponsored by US Information Agency, Washington, DC

1986 First World Congress of Iron, Aachen, West Germany

1976 Invitational Exhibition, Zlatarna Celje, Celje, Yugoslavia. Design Award. Monograph

Ratcliff, Carter. Albert Paley in the 21st Century. Rochester, NY: Paley Studios Ltd., 2010

Lucie-Smith, Edward. The Art of Albert Paley: Iron, Bronze, Steel. New York: Abrams, Inc., 1996

Kuspit, Donald. Albert Paley Sculpture. Milan: Skira, 2006 

Publications

Sims, Patterson. Albert Paley on Park Avenue. Milano, Italy. Silvana Editoriale, 2013

Gilbert, Lela. Albert Paley Reconfiguration. Pintaubo Press, 2008.

Shearer, Linda. Albert Paley Threshold. Milan: Skira, 2008.

Rowe, M. Jessica. Albert Paley Portals and Gates. Ames, IA: University Museums, Iowa State University, 2007.

Kuspit, Donald. Albert Paley: Sculpture. Milan, Italy: Skira, 2006.

Yarrington, James ed. Sentinel: The Design, Fabrication, & Installation of the Monumental Sculpture by Albert Paley at Rochester Institute of Technology, NY. New York: RIT Cary Graphic Arts Press, 2005.

FSU Museum of Fine Arts. Albert Paley: Sculpture, Drawings, Graphics, and Decorative Arts. Tallahassee, Florida: Florida State University, 2001.

BYU Museum of Art. Albert Paley: Age of Steel. Utah: Brigham Young University, 1996.

Memorial Art Gallery. Inspiration & Context: The Drawings of Albert Paley. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester, 1994.

Selected Film and Video

2013 Craft In America, Forged, Produced by Carol Sauvion, PBS

2013 Albert Paley on Park Avenue, Produced by Brianna Byrne, WXXI, Local Broadcast and international Internet distribution May – June 2013.

2006 Machi, Tony, Albert Paley: In Search of the Sentinel. Produced and directed by Tony Machi, Machi and Machi Productions. Winner of a Golden Eagle Award and a New York State Emmy Award. (Approx. 60 min. High Definition video) PBS National Broadcast.

1999 Machi, Tony, Albert Paley: Man of Steel. Produced and directed by Tony Machi, Machi

and Machi Productions. (Approx. 57 min. video color/sound) PBS National Broadcast, January 12, 2001.

1994 Albert Paley - Metal Artist. NHK TV (Japanese Public Television). In Japanese (Approx. 20 min., HDTV color/sound).

1987 Albert Paley's Albany Gates. Produced and directed by Bill Rowley (58 min., 16mmcolor/sound).