Vintage Signed Fiammetta Hsieh Rubin Oblong Enamel On Copper Tray, MCM Design 1978.
Signed (F. H. Rubin)
Dimensions: 12.5”L x 9.5”W
Excellent Condition W/ Small Blemish (see pics)
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Fiammetta Hsieh Rubin
b. 1936
Fiammetta Hsieh Rubin is best known for her figurative compositions that explore the complex nature of human emotion, interpersonal relationships, and yearning. Through richly layered metaphors, Hsieh investigates the isolation of the self, the desire for the other, and the spiritual quest for a unity with a higher being or god.
Born in Rome shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Fiammetta Hsieh Rubin was interested in art from a very early age. She attended the Liceo Artistico di Roma from 1949 to 1953 and subsequently studied architecture at the University of Rome from 1953 to 1955. In 1955 she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to continue her studies in architecture at the University of Arkansas where she was awarded a B.A. in art, architecture, and philosophy in 1957. After pursuing graduate studies in philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, she decided to return to the visual arts and was awarded an M.A. in painting from UC Berkeley in 1959. While there she studied with the nationally prominent painters David Park and Cameron Booth. She later explored ceramics and metalwork at Wichita State University, Kansas (1959 – 1961), printmaking with Mauricio Lasansky at the University of Iowa, Iowa City (1961 – 1963), and enameling and metalworking with Stanley Lechtzin at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia (1973-1974). With her richly varied artistic interests and her eagerness to learn, Hsieh also sought out some of the leading figures in the enameling field such as Kenneth Bates, Harold B. “Bill” Helwig, and William Harper and studied with them in their studios and in workshops. However, Hsieh admits that while learning about the medium from some of the great masters in the field, her most meaningful education has come through trial and error, “learning-by-doing.”
Hsieh first began enameling in 1966 when she decided to cover several of her etching plates with enamels. Over the next twenty years, enameling became her foremost artistic interest. Between 1966 and 1985, when she stopped enameling for reasons of health, Hsieh developed an impressive body of work. During this period, her work was frequently featured in exhibitions of national significance including the highly influential Enamels ’70, curated by eminent Cleveland-based enamelist Charles Bartley Jeffery for the Craft Alliance of St. Louis. Her work was also regularly shown at the Spring Street Enamels Gallery in New York (1977 – 1982) and at the Langman Gallery in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania (1975 – 1983). In addition to being a masterful artist, Fiammetta Hsieh Rubin is a highly regarded spiritualist, faith healer, and Doctor of Naturopathy. She has studied diverse approaches to spiritual healing and has lectured extensively on alternative approaches to healthcare in this country and abroad.
To learn more about the artist, view her current work, and see a documentary on her life, visit the website rubinartstudios.com