Michael Sartell Prentice

Michael Sartell Prentice (born in 1944) is an American sculptor and postwar and contemporary artist known for his work in granite and stone.

Early life and education

Prentice was born in New York City. He is the third of four children born to Spelman Prentice, grandson of John D. Rockefeller and Countess Dorothy de Premio Real. Prentice is the grandson of Ezra Parmelee Prentice. He moved to Europe with his mother and siblings. They shifted homes a lot for about twenty years due to his mother's multiple marriages. Prentice didn't go to regular school until he was 10. He first went to the Buckley School in New York for a while, then spent a year at Fessenden School in Massachusetts.

In 1958, Prentice went to St. George’s School in Rhode Island as a boarding student, where he played football and ice hockey, graduating in 1963. Later, he attended Middlebury College in Vermont, where he completed a degree in Art History in 1967. During his time there, he met Elena Coon, an aspiring artist, who inspired him to explore his artistic side. He started sculpting after taking a drawing class at Dartmouth during his junior year at Middlebury.

Career

Prentice's work tends towards international post-Brancusian Abstraction, with a few traces of reality that make it identifiable. After moving to Paris in 1968, he participated in many group exhibitions. During the 1970s, Prentice was busy with art exhibitions and events across Europe. He participated in many group exhibits and symposiums, leading to his first private and public commissions and solo art show. In 1972, he made three versions of his sculpture "Zig Zag," one was given to his father, the second was sold to designer Givenchy, and the third was sold at a gallery in Belgium. During his residency in France, he received private and public commissions from many clients, including Takashimaya, Cartier, LaCoste, GlaxoWelcome, the City of Paris, the City of Vancouver, and the City of Puteaux and Givenchy. Pierre Berge and his partner Yves St. Laurent purchased his sculpture “Pingouin” in 1980.

In 1974, Prentice received his first public commission, creating a sculpture called "Stone Flower" for the Mayor’s Office of Sainte Geneviéve des Bois. He was selected as one of ten sculptors to participate in the International Stone Symposium in Vancouver in 1975. In 1976, the National Center for Visual Arts in Paris purchased his sculpture “Fleur de Peche”, and it was later installed at the French Consulate in Barcelona, Spain. In 1980, he was commissioned to design the walls of the Opera House in the French town of Vichy.

Throughout the 1980s, Prentice gained attention in the European press, leading to more commissions. He continued his work in solo and group shows while receiving commissions for public sculptures and private projects. In the 1990s, Prentice continued to receive commissions for public sculptures and private projects. He was involved in various projects around the world, from Tokyo to Paris to South Korea.

In 2000, Prentice moved to Houston, Texas, to be near his family and retired from sculpting. In 2013, he started a real estate investment company called MPVP Holdings, focusing on properties in the Sharpstown area of Houston. He also invested in innovative companies like Mesuron, a medical device company. Simultaneously, Prentice's art started selling at auctions. The highest price paid for his work at auction was $78,536 for a dining table sold at Christie's Paris in 2022. He has a permanent collection at Museo Sa Bassa Blanca in Mallorca, Spain.

In 2020, Prentice founded The Alta Arts, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing art and architecture in Southwest Houston. Operating out of Studio Space in the Gulfton area, which Prentice owns, The Alta Arts is named after his grandmother, whose former home contributed to the Museum of Modern Art site in New York City.

Philanthropy

Prentice has made efforts to improve the Sharpstown neighborhood in Houston. He collaborated with the Architecture School of the University of Houston to establish the Sharpstown Prize for Architecture. Additionally, he initiated art installations through Seeds of Sharpstown.

Personal life

Prentice has been married and divorced twice. His first marriage was to Elena Prentice from 1966 to 1984. His second marriage was to Veronique Roulier from 1999 to 2019. He has three children from his first marriage, two from his second, and eight grandchildren. Prentice divides his time between his olive farm in Mallorca, Spain, and his home in Texas.

Group exhibits and symposiums

• 1970 - Salon d’Automme and Salon des Independent (Paris)

• 1971 - Salon des Grands et Jeune d’Aujourd’hui and “Salon de la Jeune Sculpture” (Paris) as well as Symposium des Kunst (Mannheim, Germany)

• 1972 - 8th International Biennial of Pagani Foundation (Milan, Italy), Salon des Grandes et des Jeunes d’Aujourd Hui and Salon de la Jeune Sculpture (Paris) and Mostra del Marmo Sezione Internationale di sculptura Citta (Carrara, Italy)

• 1973 - Salon des Grandes et des Jeunes d’Aujourd Hui, Salon de la Jeune Sculpture, Premiere vente de Sculpture Contemporarire “Espace Cardin” and 10 Jeune Sculptures (Paris), Nouvelle Ecole de Paris (travelling exhibit: Denmark, Norway, Germany). International Biennial of Carrera (Italy) and Exposition au logis des Beaux (Provence, France)

• 1974 - Marble Work/University Gallery, Salon de Mai, Salon des Grandes et des Jeunes d’Aujourd Hui Paris and Salon de la Jeune Sculpture (Paris) as well as International Salon, Allonnes (Pays-de-la-Loire, France)

• 1975 - Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and First Prize in Salon de la Jeune Sculpture (Paris)

• 1976 - Dialogue (sponsored by UNESCO), Salon de Mai, Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and Salon de la Jeune Sculpture (Paris)

• 1977 - Mediterranean Sculpture Symposium, in Labin, Yugoslavia and Dialogue and UNESCO (Paris)

• 1978 - European Sculpture Triennial “La Sculpture en Fête”, Gérard Laubie Gallery, Salon de Montrouge, Salon des Réalités Nouvelles and Salon des Grandes et des Jeunes d’Aujourd Hui (Paris)

• 1979 - Salon de la Jeune Sculpture (Paris)

• 1980 - One Man Show: Elizabeth Franck Gallery, Knokke (Belgium) and Group Show Salon de la Jeune Sculpture (Paris)

• 1981 - Group Shows: “Salon des Grandes et des Jeunes d’Aujourd Hui” (Paris)

• 1982- One Man Shows: BP Gallery, Antwerp, BP Gallery, Brussels, Elisabeth Franck Gallery, Knokke (Belgium); Group Shows: FIAC, E. Franck Gallery, (Paris) ARCOS, E. Franck Gallery (Madrid); Public Commission, monumental sculpture in granite “Nice Etoile,” Nice (France)

• 1983 - One Man Show: Hirschl & Adler Modern Gallery, New York (May-June), Group Exhibition: Sculpture Symposium, Vassiviére, Limousin (France)

• 1984 - Group Exhibition: FIAC, E. Franck Gallery (Paris); Private Commission by Cogedim, huge granite sculpture “Bird” for a public park, corporate HQ, Levallois-Perret, (Paris)

• 1985 - Group Exhibition: “Salon des Artistes Décorateurs (SAD),” (Paris); One Man Show, Bastions Gallery, Geneva (Switzerland)

• 1986 - Private Commission by Cartier, monumental, sculpted entrance doors in granite at the “Les Musts” HQ, Fribourg, (Switzerland)

• 1987 - Public Commission by the EPAD (biz district) of Puteaux, “La Fontaine des Solstices” monumental granite fountain (650m2), Hauts-de-Seine, Paris

• 1988 - Private Commission by Hubert de Givenchy, granite and travertine tables for his residence Manoir du Jonchet, Romilly-sure-Agre France

• 1989 - Private Commission by CFP (ad agency), main hall entrance granite console, Paris