John DeAndrea is an American sculptor whose intensely realistic depictions of human figures, both nude and clothed, offer an uncanny portrait of contemporary human life. Made using plastic, polyester, fiber glass, and natural hair, his work is painted after naturalistic gypsum casting to achieve a high degree of technical precision and lifelike appearance. He has explained that his work is not intended as political, but rather an existential glimpse at an individual’s sense of self. “You don’t look at people like you look at a sculpture,” the artist has explained about the public’s interest in his work. “We’re in a room and we glance at each other. With a sculpture you can walk around it, take it apart, examine it. That’s part of what makes them appealing.” DeAndrea’s works is representative of Hyperrealism, whose other notable participants include Duane Hanson, Chuck Close, and George Segal, among others. Born on November 24, 1941 in Denver, CO, DeAndrea received his BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Today, his works are in the collections of the Portland Art Museum, the Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, and the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris, among others. The artist continues to live and work in Denver, CO.
