Von Arx ’87 Creates in the Moment
“I’m driven to be solely influenced by the art itself,” says Eric Von Arx ’87, Rumson, N.J., whose large-scale wood and steel sculptures have been exhibited at New Jersey’s Block Island Sculpture Park and Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition Show. Recently, he has focused on creating art for the joy of the process, and he has decided to no longer sell his work.
An economics and business graduate, Von Arx says: “There is something about Lafayette’s microenvironment that nurtures and fortifies its inhabitants to a point that when they are released from the Hill, they are ready to explode into the real world—even if it takes a few or many years.”
Von Arx’s recent work is hyperminimalist sculpture, such as The Crusader. These temporary installations, which he terms “momentary sculpture shows,” typically just a foot tall, are often spontaneous, uninvited, and created with found objects. He has placed pieces in the sculpture garden at Museum of Modern Art and on sidewalks outside the Louvre in Paris and Guggenheim in New York.
Von Arx’s niece, Alexandra Von Arx ’13, recently received honorable mention in the MacKnight Black poetry competition. His father is Brooks Von Arx ’59, and his uncle is Emil Von Arx III ’62.
The foundation for his independence rests on real estate business he conducted with his grandfather, Emil Von Arx Jr. ’33, whose support funded Von Arx Lounge in Skillman Library.