Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Myth, Memory and Image, 1986

Phillip Levine
(American, born 1931, died 2021)

Location: Kamiak High School, Mukilteo

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Myth, Memory and Image is a bronze sculpture by artist Phillip Levine that depicts a circus horse and rider. Levine notes that the imagery symbolizes two components to memory, one that recalls specific thoughts and experiences, while the other views those experiences "as they are edited, considered, evaluated, etc. by your present being, consciousness and awareness."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Mukilteo School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist Phillip Levine (1931-2021) created bronze figurative sculptures for public and private spaces. His sculptures are realistic but with exaggerated or minimized elements such as long limbs. They often play with the elements of balance and movement. In his own words, "All my life I had heard 'The figure is dead.' But I was always drawn to it."

Levine was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He entered the University of Colorado as a pre-med student and graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1961. He was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in 1997. He has more than 30 sculptures in public places in Western Washington, half a dozen more in Eastern Washington, with others across the U.S.