Once, not so long ago, there was a swimmer. She wasn’t at the beach, she wasn’t at a pool, and she wasn’t wet. She was standing on a street corner in Midtown Manhattan, completely still, wearing a blue swim cap and droplets of water that looked so real, you almost asked her what sunscreen she used.
But she wasn’t a person. She was a sculpture. And she was made by Carole Feuerman.
You may not know her name, but chances are, you’ve seen her work. And if you haven’t, you’ve missed something unusually wonderful. Something that makes you stop. Not like “stop scrolling” or “stop and think.” Just—stop. Because it’s beautiful, and a little mysterious, and you suddenly remember what it feels like to look at something with your whole self.
The Woman Who Sculpted Stillness
Carole Feuerman was born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1945. Her early life was marked by both creative talent and personal resilience. As a child, she experienced trauma, family instability, and poverty—yet these challenges seemed only to sharpen her focus and deepen her commitment to creating beauty. She often credits art as the thing that saved her.
From a young age, she was drawn to making things with her hands. She studied at Hofstra University and Temple University before earning her degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. It was the 1960s, a transformative time for both America and the art world. Abstract expressionism was giving way to pop art and performance. In that whirlwind of shifting styles and philosophies, Feuerman began to hone her own voice.
Rock and Roll Meets Realism: Her Work in Pop Culture
Before Feuerman became known for crafting swimmers out of bronze and resin, she was making waves in an entirely different cultural current: music. In the early 1970s, she worked as a commercial illustrator, where her precision and flair caught the attention of major acts in the rock world.
In 1971, she created a poster for Alice Cooper’s tour—a striking airbrushed pullout titled “Snake.” The piece was so visually arresting it earned her the American Society of Illustrators Award of Excellence. Her work was subsequently exhibited at The New-York Historical Society, a remarkable feat for an artist then still in her twenties.
Just two years later, in 1973, she was tapped to design a promotional poster for The Rolling Stones. The piece, energetic and bold, mirrored the intensity of the band’s sound and aesthetic. Though she would eventually leave behind the world of commercial art, these projects established her not only as a technician of rare skill but also as a creative voice in the visual culture of the 1970s. Her art was not relegated to the confines of galleries—it lived in magazines, tour books, and bedrooms across America.
These early works are still celebrated today and offer a fascinating counterpoint to her later hyperrealist sculpture. While her current work is known for its stillness, her early illustrations were kinetic, urgent, and very much plugged into the cultural zeitgeist.
Why Swimmers? Why Water? Why This World?
Feuerman transitioned from illustration to sculpture in the 1970s, a move that coincided with the rise of hyperrealism. This was a time when American society was redefining its identity. Artists were pulling away from minimalism and turning back toward the human form, the individual story, the deeply observed. Feuerman saw in sculpture a chance not only to replicate reality, but to reflect the emotional resonance within it.
Her choice of swimmers as subjects was deliberate. Swimming, for Feuerman, is about survival and transcendence. As a metaphor, it evokes rebirth, immersion, and peace after struggle. She once said that water represents purity and self-reflection, and that her swimmers symbolize transformation. The figures are often caught in a moment of post-exertion calm—a breath between effort and ease.
Crafted in resin, marble, bronze, and coated with automotive paint to simulate wet skin, her sculptures appear startlingly alive. Viewers have reported feeling an urge to touch them, speak to them, or simply stare in silence. Her figures frequently wear goggles and swim caps, emphasizing both anonymity and intimacy. They are universal, yet entirely specific.
Feuerman is also one of the few women associated with the hyperrealist movement, a fact that has shaped her perspective and path. While contemporaries like Duane Hanson and John De Andrea portrayed human subjects in ways that often emphasized cultural critique or satire, Feuerman's work leans toward empathy. Her sculptures aren't commentary. They are connection.
Sculptures That Travel Further Than Most People Do
Feuerman’s sculptures have appeared in more than 300 exhibitions worldwide. Her work has been shown at the Venice Biennale, the Beijing Biennale, and Art Basel. She has exhibited in Germany, China, Italy, South Korea, and across the United States. Museums that have featured her work include the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery and the State Hermitage in Russia.
Among her most iconic pieces is The Golden Mean, a 16-foot bronze sculpture of a male diver caught in a perfect handstand. The sculpture's title refers to the classical concept of balance and harmony. Installed permanently in Peekskill, New York, it has become a landmark.
Another widely recognized work is Double Diver, a gravity-defying sculpture of two intertwined male bodies in motion, which speaks to human resilience and interconnectedness. It resides in Sunnyvale, California, and remains one of the most ambitious feats of engineering in contemporary figurative art.
Her smaller-scale works are equally captivating. Serena rests with her chin on her arms, eyes closed, soaked in imaginary droplets that glisten under natural light. Catalina sits calmly, lost in a moment that feels both personal and performative. These figures do not demand attention—they quietly earn it.
Beyond the Studio: Teaching, Legacy, and Giving Back
Feuerman is more than an artist. She is a teacher, mentor, and advocate for public art. In 2011, she established the Carole A. Feuerman Sculpture Foundation, which supports young artists and promotes access to hyperrealist sculpture through public exhibitions and educational programming.
She believes deeply that art should not be locked behind institutional doors. It should live among people. Her foundation partners with cities, curators, and art fairs to bring sculpture into everyday environments, from plazas to waterfronts to transit hubs. Her goal is to create shared experiences—moments of surprise, reflection, and stillness within the rush of daily life.
Feuerman has also taught masterclasses internationally, offering guidance on both technique and vision. She is a frequent speaker at arts organizations and universities, and her insights have been published in multiple monographs, including Carole Feuerman: Sculpture and Swimmers, which explore both her creative process and her evolving themes.
A Moment in Midtown
From April 2023 to April 2024, Feuerman’s work was showcased in the public exhibition Sea Idylls across Midtown Manhattan. The project was organized in collaboration with NYC Parks and the Garment District Alliance. Her swimmers took up residence among skyscrapers and subway stops, offering a gentle counterpoint to the noise and vertical momentum of the city.
The sculptures were positioned at street level, without barriers. Passersby encountered them unexpectedly. Children reached out to touch them. Tourists took photos. Office workers slowed down on their lunch breaks. In a city known for its relentless pace, Feuerman’s figures introduced something radical: stillness.
Where to See Her Work Now
Although the Midtown exhibition has concluded, Feuerman's presence in the art world remains strong. Her latest exhibition, The Zodiac: Mysterious Power of the Creative, opens April 12, 2025, at the Medici Museum of Art in Warren, Ohio. The show promises new interpretations of identity and mythology, combining her signature realism with a conceptual narrative structure.
Collectors around the globe continue to acquire her work, which is part of permanent collections in museums and private estates alike. Her sculptures are not only visually stunning—they are emotionally resonant, intellectually grounded, and technically unmatched.
Whether seen in a major international exhibition or unexpectedly on a city street, Carole Feuerman’s sculptures have a singular effect. They stop us. They ask us to look. And they reward our attention.
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