Robert Aaron Mihaly (born January 8, 1967) is an American stone

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

conceptual artist Conceptual art, also referred to as conceptualism, is art in which the concept(s) or idea(s) involved in the work take precedence over traditional Aesthetics, aesthetic, technical, and material concerns. Some works of conceptual art, sometimes ca ...

, and painter.

Early life

Mihaly was born in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

. Largely self-educated, he dropped out of

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

and moved to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

.Wall Street Journal, September 29, 1997. pg. A.1''The Durham News (N&O)'', A Castle Takes Shape in Rougemont, Elizabeth Shestak, Nov 3–4, 2007. pg. A.1

Career

At the age of 21, he was awarded $10,000 in a national college entrepreneur contest.''Wall Street Journal'', "North Carolina Freshman Wins Entrepreneur Contest," February 23, 1988, p. 1 His business plan to design and sell artistic architectural ornaments was selected from 600 other proposals. In 1996–97, Mihaly was the Artist in Residence at

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

, during which Mihaly attempted to transform a Vermont marble block into an

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

. The cathedral came to see the stone and scaffolding as an eyesore and safety hazard, and removed the structure, leaving Mihaly unable to work. Mihaly unsuccessfully sued the cathedral in small-claims court for breach of contract. In 2002, Duke University commissioned Mihaly for the first gargoyles at Duke since the construction of the Gothic-styled West Campus, to honor Aubrey and Kathleen McClendon, a couple who gave $5.5 million for a new dorm."Athens Banner-Herald", Duke to take down gargoyles modeled after wealthy donors, by Aaron Beard, November 9, 2002. The Gothic west campus has more than 100 gargoyles perched upon buildings, but Mihaly's two new sculptures did not entertain the wealthy donors they were intended to honor, and were subsequently removed from the building.

Sculpture

Mihaly's sculptural work includes angels, gargoyles,''Chapel Hill News'', "Targoyles", by Dave Hart, September 7, 2003. pg. C.1 an elaborate gothic mausoleum, and four tractor-trailer loads of stonework that he carved for a miniature Renaissance villa. Mihaly's collection of gargoyles from popular

town and gown Town and gown are two distinct communities of a university town; 'town' being the non-academic population and 'gown' metonymically being the university community, especially in ancient seats of learning such as Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, and St ...

characters of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

are on top of the restaurant, Top of the Hill, overlooking the central crossroads of Franklin and Columbia Streets. Each gargoyle has UNC rams horns. The characters include athletes

Mia Hamm Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra (; born March 17, 1972) is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the ...

, Michael Jordan, and

Julius Peppers Julius Frazier Peppers (born January 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, ...

as well as the street's namesake,

Ben Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading intel ...

.''Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership'', "Holiday Window Display Winner", by Liz Parham , December 8, 2006.http://www.downtownchapelhill.com/pdfs/Window_Display_Winner_2006.pdf Client

Elizabeth Edwards Mary Elizabeth Anania Edwards (July 3, 1949 – December 7, 2010) was an American attorney, author, and health care activist. She was married to John Edwards, the former U.S. Senator from North Carolina who was the 2004 United States Democrati ...

and her husband, Senator

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...

, commissioned Mihaly to carve the headstone of their deceased son, Wade, out of a 24,000 pound block of Vermont marble. Edwards was "enchanted and confused" by the "weird and wonderful" artist, yet felt the sculpture of an angel caressing her child was "extraordinary". The tall monument is in Raleigh's

Historic Oakwood Cemetery Historic Oakwood Cemetery was founded in 1869 in North Carolina's capital, Raleigh, near the North Carolina State Capitol in the city's Historic Oakwood neighborhood. Historic Oakwood Cemetery contains two special areas within its , the Confe ...

.The Charlotte Observer, "Soaring Success, Crushing Loss" Anna Griffin, August 19, 2003 Mihaly also designed the monument in Historic Oakwood Cemetery for Edwards after her death in 2010 from breast cancer.

Conceptual art

During the March 7, 2009 opening of Mihaly's Duke University solo exhibit at the Louise Jones Brown Gallery, ''A Pantheon of Modern Gods: An Anthropological Expedition into Corridors of Power,'' Mihaly paced the gallery, lecturing with a small sculpture entitled ''Cherub'' cradled in his arms, in front of visitors. All the works in the exhibition were accompanied by quotations.Claire Finch
"Mihaly offers send-up of modern idolatry in sculpture, paintings"
''The Duke Chronicle'', Paintings, March 26, 2009 The Gallery manager Rachel Pea described the art as "edgy" and "one of the more in-your-face sort of exhibits" since it challenges the viewer's ideas on the fabric of society: war, politics, money and religion.
/ref> Mihaly's work "conveys illuminating social commentary" about "frightening political possibilities". ''The Goddess of Eugenics'' is an oil on linen replication of Botticelli's ''

The Birth of Venus ''The Birth of Venus'' ( it, Nascita di Venere ) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid 1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea ...

'', except Venus's body is pierced with bullet holes and dripping authentic blood. The Zephyrs blow symbols of radiation and

biohazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...

waste rather than the

west wind A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction. Mythology and Literature In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds. In Greek mythology, ...

. Mihaly's description of the painting alludes to intricate plots by world leaders to cleanse the population. castle-mont-rouge

Architecture

Mihaly's former part-time country estate and studio is called

Castle Mont Rouge Castle Mont Rouge is a castle located on Red Mountain in Rougemont, North Carolina, north of Durham.''The News and Observer'', "A castle? A Work of Art? Mont Rouge is a labor of love", Adrianne Cleven, 3 Nov 2019, 1D''The Herald Sun'', “Castl ...

.Rougemont Reporter, Castle Mont Rouge, Summer, 2006, P.10 The castle, located on Red Mountain in

Rougemont, North Carolina Rougemont is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Durham and Person counties, North Carolina, United States. The population of the CDP was 978 at the 2010 census. An act to incorporate Rougemont as a town was introduce ...

, features onion domes like

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

churches and oxidized copper cupolas.This Month at Duke, A Secret Spot, by Sally Hicks, August 2007, cover story Much rumor and lore has been built around the castle and its creator, Robert Mihaly.''The News and Observer'', "A castle? A Work of Art? Mont Rouge is a labor of love", Adrianne Cleven, 3 Nov 2019, 1D''The Herald Sun'', “Castle Mont Rouge in Rougemont is art oddity, labor of love”, Adrianne Cleven, 3 Nov 2019, 1A.''The Roxboro Courier-Times'', "Castle Mont Rouge offers Magic for Many", Cameron Beach, 31 Dec 2019, IA''WRAL News'', "A castle? A Work of Art? Mont Rouge is a labor of love", Amy Cockerham, 17 Nov 2019, https://www.wral.com/sculptor-hopes-to-turn-rougemont-castle-into-public-venue/18773398/?ref_id=18773343, accessed 13 Jan 2020 Mihaly referenced the rumor about the death of his wife in a televised news story, acknowledging that he is not a widower.

Personal life

Mihaly lives in Durham, North Carolina, with his long-time partner, Caroline Smith, and their two children. The couple met in 2003 and lived in one of the finished rooms at Mihaly's Castle Mont Rouge until 2006, which Smith described as "whimsical fun, enigmatic, and romantic". Smith joined Mihaly during the installation of the "Fallsoleuum" in 2005. ''News Herald'', "Photographing The 'Fallsoleum'", Allen VanNoppen, 14 Aug 2005.

References

External links

Official Robert Mihaly Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mihaly, Robert Living people 1967 births Artists from Akron, Ohio 20th-century American architects 20th-century American painters Kent State University people Sculptors from Ohio 21st-century American painters 20th-century American sculptors