DeWain Valentine

Born: 1936

Died: 2022

Nationality: American

DeWain Valentine (1936–2022) was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, and earned a BFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 1958, where he studied alongside Richard Diebenkorn. A pioneering figure in the Light and Space movement, Valentine settled in Southern California in the 1960s and became known for large-scale cast polyester resin sculptures; working with a chemical engineer from PPG Industries, he developed a proprietary formulation, Valentine MasKast Resin, in 1966, that let him cast pieces at a scale and clarity not previously possible. His major works include Gray Column (1975–76) and Diamond Column, both explorations of translucent colored volumes finished with the meticulous sanding and polishing for which he was known. He taught plastics technology at UCLA and designed California’s Governor’s Awards for the Arts in 1989. His work is held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Getty Center, which mounted a major exhibition of his work in 2011–12.

Links: https://whitney.org/artists/1361
https://www.nga.gov/artists/35915-dewain-valentine

Sources: Wikipedia contributors. "DeWain Valentine." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed September 6, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DeWain_Valentine.

Alex Greenberger. "De Wain Valentine, Sculptor Who Made Plastic Into an Art Form, Dies at 86." ARTnews, March 1, 2022. https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/de-wain-valentine-dead-1234619747/.

National Gallery of Art. "Dewain Valentine." Accessed September 6, 2026. https://www.nga.gov/artists/35915-dewain-valentine.