At the core of artist Harold Rittenberry Jr.’s work is a deep love for nature. Many of his sculptures celebrate local culture or commemorate historic events. Others reflect his interior world, an imaginative realm where animals of the African savanna coexist with mythological creatures like mermaids, unicorns and fauns. His steel silhouettes frequently include simple messages that gently remind us to center hope, joy, peace, care and his greatest insight, “love is all,” within our lives.
Born on Christmas Day in 1938, Rittenberry has spent most of his life in Athens, Georgia. He taught himself to weld intricate silhouettes into steel and made his sculptures accessible to all. Long before collectors around the world took notice of his talent, Rittenberry turned the heads of passerby by transforming the front lawn of his home into his “Spirit Yard,” an ever-changing menagerie of his latest creations.
Today, his iconic rust-colored sculptures are woven into the landscape of Athens and beyond, appearing across parks, galleries, community centers, retail spaces and lush gardens. The Georgia Museum of Art holds multiple works by Rittenberry in its collection, including a large sculpture resembling a birdcage that stands near the side entrance and a bench in the outdoor breezeway.
The new museum publication “Harold Rittenberry: Love is All”(opens in new tab) is the first monograph on the artist. It opens with a biography by Dan T. Coenen, UGA professor emeritus of law, who reveals what led the artist to teach himself to weld. Robert Clements, UGA professor emeritus of art and fellow sculptor, provides a timeline of Rittenberry’s success with commissions and describes how the two collaborated on proposals to budding public art programs across Georgia. William Underwood Eiland, former director of the museum, contextualizes Rittenberry’s work within a broader perspective and joins Shawnya Harris, the museum’s Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, for an interview with the artist. In addition to many photographs of Rittenberry’s popular towers, benches and gates, the book pulls together rarely seen tabletop sculptures, paintings, drawings, wood carvings and masks.
200 pages; $29.99 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781946657183
Publishing Date: August 2026
If you are interested in a review copy of the book, contact: Hillary Brown, hazbrown@uga.edu, 706.542.1817.
Authored by:
Hillary Brown
