Berthold "Tex" Schiwetz
American, 1909 - 1971Birds in Flight, 1957-58
Not on view
Bronze
Dimensions145 × 72 × 34 in. (368.3 × 182.9 × 86.4 cm)
Commissioned by the College and Cultural Committee of Sponsors, 2005.58
The College and Cultural Committee of Sponsors was a group formed in the early 1950s to support the creation of the Flint Cultural Center campus. This sculpture was commissioned by this group to commemorate the opening of the DeWaters Art Center in 1958, which was the new home of the Flint Institute of Arts. It was shown in the sculpture garden courtyard at the FIA until spring of 2004. A year later, after extensive renovations to the FIA building and grounds, it was permanently installed in front of the museum.
In 1939, after studying art for two years at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Berthold Schiwetz went to the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, where he studied sculpture until he left to fight in World War II. Berthold, also known as “Tex,” returned to complete his education and eventually became the head of the sculpture department. He had a long career as a sculptor, establishing studios in Italy, Georgia, and Michigan.
