Countdown to the American Portrait Gala: Meet Barton Rubenstein

“As an artist, I am moved by the possibility of making someone else’s life more meaningful, less stressful, or simply bringing out a smile. When I create art, I imagine each of these positive changes beginning a chain reaction of other positive human interactions. The idea of this brings me great pleasure and satisfaction.”

Internationally recognized sculptor and public artist Barton Rubenstein has designed the award for the National Portrait Gallery’s American Portrait Gala 2015, which will take place one month from today on Nov. 15, 2015. The design is an androgynous profile made of stainless steel, so as not to represent any particular race or nationality. Rubenstein initially created it as a study for a now-completed monumental profile sculpture titled Free Again. In Rubenstein’s words, the inspiration for the artwork is the notion “that each of us is born into the world as a free person. After time, some of us become victims of religious persecution and other abuses and seek asylum in the free world, basically the democratic countries.” The artist has plans to display the large sculpture in different democracies around the world. In September, the city of Jerusalem accepted the proposal and plans to display the sculpture in a prominent public space at the center of the city. Rubenstein is also considering Sydney and London as potential sites.

Rubenstein, whose academic background is in neuroscience, is fascinated by the effects of light, water, kinetics, and suspension and often incorporates one or more of these elements in his work. Typically working in stainless steel or bronze, his dynamic sculptures play with illusion and perception, artistic interests that coincide with his academic training, including a BS in physics with a minor in fine arts from Haverford College and a Master's degree in computer science and PhD in neuroscience from Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Rubenstein’s work is included in public and private collections internationally. He credits his mother, Daryl Reich Rubenstein, who was an art historian and Smithsonian curator, for developing his eye through continuous exposure to art as a child. In addition, his father, Lee Rubenstein, taught him to work with his hands, which has provided Rubenstein with the skills to fabricate most of his artwork.