About Jasper D Ambrosi

Jasper D'Ambrosi (1926-1986) Jasper D'Ambrosi was the California born son of Italian immigrants. He grew up in California and attended USC on a football scholarship which provided the opportunity to study painting. As a young man he “worked as a mechanic, a longshoreman, a body and fender man and carried hod in construction.” Not surprisingly he recounted that “When I had a chance to go to school to be come an artist, I just loved it”. After graduating cum laude from USC, Jasper headed the arts department at Douglas Aircraft for nine years. He then founded and operated his own printing and design business. However during this time he continued to paint, draw, and sculpt and eventually became recognized as one of the outstanding artist in the southern California area. In 1970 he sold his business and decided to become a full time artist. His bronzes were immediately successful. D'Ambrosi's 2nd casting depicted a stage coach pulled by six horses. The edition of 16 was priced at $15,000 each and sold out in less than six months. While his sculptures ranged from Western to Classical in style, Jasper said his objective was to offer a vision of the beauty and hope that life offers. His emphasis on realism was as much a result of aesthetic preferences as it was a desire to reach a wide audience. “By involving real people, the artwork takes on a more realistic feel. People are basically the same today as they were a hundred years ago, and by seeking reactions from people I can better understand the situations I create in my art.” D'Ambrosi's most famous commissioned piece was the “The Fallen Warrior”, a tribute to Arizona 's Viet Nam veterans which stands outside the state capital. Other well known pieces include "El Capitan", a life size longhorn which still stands today in the town square of Dodge City, Kansas; and "Buffalo Jone-Visionary", another life size monument in Garden City, Kansas. Jasper died in August, 1986 after a brief illness due to blood cell abnormalities caused by the years of toxic art materials. He made a vow never to retire and, true to his vow, he never did. At the time of his death he was working on “Jacobs Ladder” a twenty foot high memorial honoring the Merchant Marines of World War II. Finished by his sons shortly after his death, it is on public display today at Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro, California. This bronze Equine sculpture "Holdin Herd" is in excellent condition. A most rare and desireable collectible limited edition bronze Equine sculpture