José Mariano de Creeft (November 27, 1884 – September 11, 1982) was a Spanish-born American artist, sculptor, and teacher known for modern sculpture in stone, metal, and wood, particularly figural works of women.

[citation needed] At six years of age, de Creeft took his first job earning pennies by carrying stone and sand at the construction site of La Sagrada Familia, designed and built by the architect Antonio Gaudi.

[7] In 1900, de Creeft moved to Madrid and studied in the workshop of Don Augustin Querol Subirats, Official Sculptor of Spain.

[citation needed] At this time he observed the art work of a group of Eskimos (Inuit) in El Retiro Park which had a profound impact on his developing aesthetic.

With tiny pieces of ivory they made monumental sculptures that had strength, power and serenity, though they were less than hand-sized.”[citation needed] A year later, his first exhibition of portraits of children in clay and plaster was held at El Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.

He referred to this method of carving as “pure sculpture.” Inspired by modernism, de Creeft destroyed all his previous casts, molds, and clay pieces.

After casting the large, rough forms, he hammered, carved and incised the lead with typical chasing tools used in foundries for finishing work.

[13] In 1925, de Creeft developed another new technique, now known as found object, or assemblage art, when he was asked to create a piece for the Gran Bal Español by the world-famous flamenco dancer Vicente Escudero.

[citation needed] Upon being told the piece must be ready in days, de Creeft dismantled his stove to create Le Picador, an eight-foot figure on horseback.

[citation needed] Adding used tire tubes to depict the horse's intestines protruding from its belly, de Creeft paraded his piece through the streets of Paris to great acclaim and the event received worldwide press coverage.

In 1927, de Creeft moved to Mallorca, Spain, when he was commissioned by the painter, Roberto Ramonge to create sculptures for his fourteenth-century fortress, La Fortaleza.

[citation needed] Granted complete artistic freedom, he undertook the work with such vigor and enthusiasm that in eighteen months he carved more than two hundred pieces in stone.

[citation needed] The couple settled in New York City in September and de Creeft established a studio at 1 Washington Square.

Upon his return to America, de Creeft established himself in New York City, and that year became a founding member of the American Artists' Congress.

In 1940, de Creeft resigned from the Artist's Congress due to its unquestioning support of the Soviet Union, and he formed the alternative Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors.

That same year he began teaching at The Art Students' League, was elected to Board of Directors of the Society of Independent Artists and had a solo exhibition at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.

In 1946, de Creeft and Goulet purchased a hundred-acre farm in Hoosick Falls, NY where they established a studio and part-time residence.

During the summers, de Creeft was assisted by a steady stream of students including Gary Lawrence Sussman who stayed with him over the course of six and a half years and became a valued family friend.

In addition to the unique renovations and repairs he enjoyed making on his house, de Creeft was also an avid woodsman, cutting, splitting and stacking all of the wood used for heating and cooking.

1951 marked the beginning of a five years work on Poetess, an eight-foot granite figure, for the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.

[23] In 1995, the short film, The Making of Jose de Creeft’s Alice In Wonderland Sculpture Garden – Narrated By Lorrie Goulet was produced and directed by J. D’Alba.

Due to the amount of usage the piece received, the mold it was cast from was eventually stored by the Parks Department for future replacements.

The Whitney Museum held the first major retrospective of de Creeft's work In May 1960, organized by the American Federation of Arts.

[29] In 1965, de Creeft exhibited at The White House in the Festival of the Arts, where he and Goulet attended the opening dinner in the Rose Garden hosted by Lady Bird Johnson.

Robert Hanson produced a documentary film in 1966, showing de Creeft sculpting The Hand of Creation, from white Carrara marble (Collection of the Art Students League of New York).

I respect the stones like my grandfather.” De Creeft and Goulet also purchased a four-story building on West 20th Street, New York City where they established a permanent residence and studio.

De Creeft became one of three American artists chosen to be represented in The Vatican Permanent Collection of Religious Art, Rome, Italy, when the museum purchased his work, The Baby’s Sleep in 1972.

The following year a special exhibition of de Creeft's works from the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC, was held in honor of his 90th birthday, including a display of his tools.

In 1976, the town of Hoosick Falls, New York, passed a resolution for a memorial honoring de Creeft to be placed in Wood Park.

[1] His ashes were buried in Hoosick Falls, New York, at the foot of "The Guardian" in a granite urn carved by a group of his students, with the help of his son-in-law, Charles Perkins.