Dixie Friend Gay 1994 Original Sculpture Signed Texas Artist Mixed Media Figural Assemblage Candelabrum Houston Art

The Story

A wonderfully theatrical and exceptionally unusual original work by acclaimed Texas artist Dixie Friend Gay, this exuberant 1994 figural assemblage occupies the delicious space between fine art, sculpture, candelabrum, and pure decorative fantasy.

Most importantly, its history comes directly from the artist.

The owner of Eclectic Whimsy spoke personally with Dixie Friend Gay, who confirmed that she created this piece for a charity auction in 1994. The work itself is also hand-signed and dated “Dixie Friend Gay 1994.”

Standing an impressive 20 inches tall, the sculpture centers on a dramatically rendered female figure surrounded by four flower-like glass cups and crowned by an oversized glass blossom. Metallic embellishment, glass, textile elements, dimensional ornament, and richly layered surfaces give the work an almost fantastical presence.

It is glamorous. Eccentric. Slightly surreal. And unmistakably one of a kind.

Created several years before Friend Gay turned her primary attention toward large-scale public art, the piece offers a particularly intriguing glimpse into the artist's earlier Houston studio practice.

Today, Friend Gay is recognized for a multidisciplinary career encompassing sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, painting, drawing, mosaics, and monumental public installations. Her work is represented in institutional collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Blanton Museum of Art, and the Huntington Museum of Art.

The Object

This is not a commercially produced vintage candelabrum bearing an artist's name. It is an original artist-created mixed-media work, with its authorship and charity-auction history personally confirmed by Dixie Friend Gay to the present owner.

The central female figure rises through an extraordinarily layered composition of glass and ornament. Four translucent flower-form cups encircle the figure while a much larger glass flower crowns the sculpture overhead. Reflective metallic details, applied embellishments, and textile elements create changing textures as the work is viewed from different angles.

At 6.57 pounds, it has substantial physical presence, while its 20-inch height makes it large enough to command attention on a console, pedestal, mantel, library table, or collector's cabinet.

There is something almost ceremonial about the composition—a fantastical marriage of the classical female form with the exuberance of late-20th-century assemblage.

For a maximalist interior, it is extraordinary.

For a collector of Texas and Houston art, however, its appeal goes deeper: this is a signed, dated, artist-confirmed work from 1994, created for a specific charitable event and surviving more than three decades later.

Collected Beauty

• Original artwork by Dixie Friend Gay
• Personally confirmed by the artist to the present owner
• Created specifically for a charity auction in 1994
• Hand-signed and dated “Dixie Friend Gay 1994”
• Impressive 20-inch sculptural scale
• Substantial 6.57-pound weight
• Extraordinary mixed-media construction
• Figural form surrounded by flower-form glass elements
• Richly layered metallic, textile, glass, and applied ornament
• Dates from Friend Gay's earlier studio practice before her primary focus shifted toward public art
• One-of-a-kind collector's piece
• Exceptional statement for a maximalist, Hollywood Regency, theatrical, or collected interior

Details

• Artist: Dixie Friend Gay
• Artist: American, b. 1953
• Date: 1994
• Origin: Houston, Texas
• Type: Original mixed-media figural assemblage sculpture / candelabrum
• Materials: Mixed media incorporating figural, glass, textile, metallic, and applied decorative elements
• Signature: Signed and dated “Dixie Friend Gay 1994”
• Provenance: Artist confirmed directly to the present owner that she created the work for a charity auction
• Original title: Unknown
• Descriptive title used by Eclectic Whimsy: Untitled Figural Assemblage Candelabrum
• Weight: 6.57 lbs.

Dimensions

• Height: 20"
• Width: 8"
• Depth: 12"
• Weight: 6.57 lbs.

Condition Report

• Original vintage artwork dating to 1994
• Artist-made mixed-media construction incorporates numerous materials and individually applied decorative elements
• Please examine photographs closely as they form an important part of the condition description
• Eclectic Whimsy has intentionally avoided restoration or alteration that could compromise the integrity and character of the original artwork

Provenance

The sculpture is hand-signed and dated “Dixie Friend Gay 1994.”

The present owner subsequently spoke directly with Dixie Friend Gay, who personally confirmed creating the work for a charity auction in 1994.

The specific charity and original title are currently unknown. Accordingly, Untitled Figural Assemblage Candelabrum is a descriptive catalog title assigned for identification and is not represented as the artist's original title.