Fred Holschuh

One of LeMoyne’s most influential artists was Fred Holschuh, an internationally recognized sculptor who called Tallahassee home from 1947 until his passing in 1995. Holschuh was born in Erbach, Germany, where he received his degree in architecture from the School of Art and Design. In 1947, he moved to Tallahassee to become the first man to join the art faculty at the Florida State College for Women, which became Florida State University.

Holschuh helped build FSU’s sculpture lab and later retired from the university to focus on his personal sculpture work, spending much of that time at LeMoyne. Holschuh, influenced by his study under Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus School, worked in copper and brass, creating a Brutalist Modernism style with abstract design. Brutalist art is a raw, utilitarian art and design movement that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s in Europe and North America. It's characterized by the use of raw materials like metals and concrete, bold geometric lines, and a lack of decoration.

​There are four sculptures from Holschuh here at LeMoyne, including the two pieces in the Helen Lind Sculpture Garden. The pieces you are looking at here are great examples of the artistry that gained Holschuh recognition around the world. To your left is a piece called Daphne, created by Holschuh in 1976. To your right is the piece, Magnificata, which was created in 1974. Both artworks were donated to LeMoyne by the artist. Holschuh’s other pieces include The Sentinels, located near the pottery kiln shed, and a piece called PLUS in the African American Tribute Garden located behind you and across the patio.