Bob (Robert) James Cassilly, Jr., Missouri (1949-2011), Untitled Female, Oct. 1971, sandstone

Bob (Robert) James Cassilly, Jr.
Missouri, (1949-2011)
Untitled Female, Oct. 1971
sandstone sculpture
Height: 57 inches. At first glance this nearly life-sized sculpture of a standing young female figure with her eyes closed appears as if it had been roughly carved from marble in Antiquity—yet it was created out of concrete in contemporary times. And although concrete was created and mastered by the ancient Romans as a building material, it wasn’t until the 20th c. that it became a popular material for use among sculptors. Cassilly succeeded at using a rough, unfinished, pumice-like, rock-solid concrete to craft this soft, heavy-set young figure with curly hair and rounded off forms—appearing as a kind of female version of a kouros, representative of the idea of youth.Bob Cassilly was born in St. Louis to a homemaker and building contractor (who clearly fostered in his son a deep interest in the properties and uses of cement). As a young man, Bob followed his talent and spirit that turned into an apprenticeship with sculptor Rudy Torrini. In 1968-69 Cassilly attended, on scholarship, The Cleveland Institute of Art. He received a B.F.A. in sculpture from Fontbonne College, St. Louis (1972-1976), and in 1980 Cassilly graduated Cum Laude with an MFA in sculpture from Fontbonne College, St. Louis. The artist settled in the Lafayette community in the early 1970s working prolifically out of his studio--which is where several of our featured pieces were born. He was soon awarded multiple commissions and would later open a foundry. With the help of Robert Sr., Cassilly's fine art collection dovetailed into playful urban projects steeped in the fabric of his city's architecture, design, and history, leading to the opening of Cassilly & Cassilly in 1985. Bob would integrate sculpture and architectural ornamentation to urban landscapes, adding character to buildings and neighborhoods that in turn helped foster civic pride. The company's goal was to bring sculpture and ornamentation to a mutual conclusion that seemed inseparable, preordained, and wholly natural. Cassilly and Cassilly specialized in the creation of unique sculpture and architectural ornamentation on a large scale--designed to integrate townhouses, offices, and public buildings with their surrounding neighborhoods. In this fashion, over several decades Cassilly served his community as a sculptor of beloved public works, as a cultural entrepreneur/ museum designer and owner, as an overall creative visionary who changed the visual (and thus the creative/ imaginative) landscape of each of the cities, buildings, parks, zoos and shopping malls where he left his mark. Across his native St. Louis he worked to save our old buildings and/or their important and often fantastical architectural elements to turn his hometown’s neglected and abandoned material treasures into, among other things, elements of our wonderful City Museum (founded within an abandoned department store on Washington Avenue in 1997). His museum mission, “to reawaken the childlike imagination, joy and sense of wonder in all of us” simultaneously served to reawaken interest and respect toward St. Louis’ downtown architectural heritage, ultimately saving a part of the heart of our city from total neglect and demolition. Bob also created the beloved outdoor red apple chairs in Webster Groves; many massive hippopotamus sculptures for children’s playgrounds in both Central Park and Riverside Park, NYC; the wonderful gigantic cement turtles at St. Louis’ Turtle Park; the whimsical musical lions playing on benches beside the gates of University City; the colossal ancient ruins of the “Escape from Pompeii” ride at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA; the turtles and toads at Lafayette Square Park; the fashionable 1980s style entry pillars at The St. Louis Galleria; et al. In an extraordinarily active fashion he fully dedicated himself to creating and enhancing the interesting and fun elements of our landscape and along the way whole-heartedly promoted our old-world artisan culture and local history on all levels and to people from all ages and walks of life. Unfortunately, Cassilly was unable to complete his major project in North St. Louis, Cementland. It also makes so much sense that back in 1972 when visiting St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome it was Bob who acted as ‘first responder’ to Michelangelo’s Pieta’—it was the 23-year-old Cassilly who physically stopped a madman with a hammer from further destroying that Roman masterpiece (coincidentally sculpted when Michelangelo was also 23) before Swiss guards or carabinieri arrived at the chapel. Built in 1895, the building where Cassilly and Cassilly ran their studio is located at 2655 Lafayette Avenue here in St. Louis. It is from this building where Giovanna Cassilly, Bob's widow, rescued the abandonded decorative large-scale panels that Link is offering for auction. The studio was in this beautiful and distinctive large one-floor building known for its decorative terra cotta facade (featuring dragons) and a butterfly-themed fence. Unfortunately, this structure is currently in the hands of a 'developer' and at high risk for demolition. If YOU would like to help save Cassilly's studio, a true piece of St. Louis' material past, PLEASE IMMEDIATELY CALL and/or write to the City of St. Louis Preservation Board at 314-657-3865 and preservation-board@stlouis-mo.gov and to Bennett Anderson there at andersonb@stlouis-mo.gov. Thank you for voicing your opinion and for your kind help toward saving a highlight of our city!