ENCINITAS, CA - (Oct. 20, 2008) - Lux Art Institute, San Diego's interactive art destination, has installed a sculpture by New York artist Robert Lobe on the grounds of its five-acre site.

The piece, titled "Mother Maple," depicts the trunk of a tree, a branch, and a large boulder, and is made of heat-treated, hammered aluminum. Created by Lobe in 1988, it measures an impressive 120" high by 123" wide by 108" deep and weighs 500 pounds. The sculpture was moved into place near the top of Lux's granite trail and is on loan to the Institute through October 17, 2010.

In addition to complementing Bucket with Abstraction, a smaller sculpture by Lobe in the Lux library, "Mother Maple" joins several installations that have been incorporated into the Lux landscape, including two by former artists-in-residence, Tower by Daniel Wheeler and Garden of Apple Delights by Astrid Preston.

Lobe, who had visited Lux in the spring, saw the potential in its native landscaped-environment serving as a site for "Mother Maple." After discussion with Lux Director Reesey Shaw, Lobe loaned the sculpture, which had been on exhibit in Palm Springs, to the Institute.

"We're honored to display a remarkable work like 'Mother Maple' at Lux," said Shaw. "Lobe's process and direct work with nature is an interesting counterpoint to our native landscape and the artists working here."

The process Lobe uses for this and other sculptures is an adaptation of repoussé, an ancient technique in which metal is hammered, usually from the inside, to create designs or forms. It was used by the Greeks in the third century B.C. in the fabrication of armor plates and ornaments. But perhaps the most iconic and best-known modern piece of repoussé is the French-made, 19th century copper structure, The Statue of Liberty.

Lobe encases trees and rocks in sheets of aluminum, using mallets and a pneumatic air compressor to stretch and tighten the metal. Through the force of repetitive blows from the mallets and hammers, Lobe alters the structure of the aluminum until it conforms snugly to the texture of the rock or tree. The new surface replicates and abstracts the contours, and thus enhances the play of light and shadow on the aluminum skin.

Lobe, who lives in Manhattan, is a sculptor whose work has been commissioned and exhibited in galleries and museums across the country, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art both in New York City; National Gallery, Washington, D.C.; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; and Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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About Lux Art Institute
Lux Art Institute, located in Encinitas, Calif., opened its doors to the public in November 2007 and is redefining the museum experience with its unique artist-in-residence program. At Lux, artists live and work on site, while producing a commissioned work of art.

Throughout the year, Lux invites significant regional, national, and international artists to participate in the Lux residency and encourages visitors from across the country to observe and engage them. This one-of-a-kind institution invites visitors to not only "see art," but also to "see art happen."

Slated to be the first "green" (LEED certified) art museum in California and located alongside one of Southern California's few remaining coastal wetlands, Lux's five-acre site overlooks the San Elijo Lagoon and is surrounded by a wildlife preserve that stretches to the Pacific Ocean. In an effort to meld the conservation and re-vegetation beyond the museum walls, an array of rare native plants blends seamlessly into the nearby preserve.

Santa Monica, California-based Renzo Zecchetto, AIA - whose other significant architectural projects include the award-winning Church of the Nativity in Fairbanks Ranch, Calif. and the Alusa Printing Company in Santiago, Chile - designed the two-story building to utilize energy-saving strategies such as the use of natural light and recycled materials which will preserve resources for future generations.

Lux Hours: Thursday and Friday, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. $10 for two visits.

For more information about Lux Art Institute, please visit www.luxartinstitute.org or call 760.436.6611