Current Positions
Mr. Curtis consults on scholarly, cultural, and artistic projects: Currently, Curator with Plinth & Portal, an e-commerce history of architecture website which is to launch late in 2016, see the beta-site at www.plinth-portal.com; Vice-President of Liberty Fund, D.C., tasked by the United States Congress to erect a memorial to African-American soldiers of the War for Independence, see www.liberyfundc.com; Director of Design and Planning for the 40 square mile city of AEGEA, opening in 2019. Curtis also maintains a studio/atelier, The Studio where he occasionally tutors promising students in various disciplines.
Past Positions
Mr. Curtis has owned, operated, and managed many art galleries and art businesses, including The Center Galleries of the College of Art and Design (founded 25 years ago by Mr. Curtis and still in operation); The Curtis Gallery; The Studio; and The Classical Gallery. He was for several years Archivist for State Art, The State of Michigan, Commission on Art in Public Places, and he was a staff sculptor for Park West Galleries.
Architecture
Mr. Curtis studied classical architecture in the Masters Program at The University of Michigan and he consults and designs for major architects and architectural firms throughout the United States. Former commissions include; The New American Home, the National Assn of Home Builders; The Frost Building, a classical stone building for Sundance Square, Fort Worth, TX; a suite of homes for www.houseplans.com; and several grave memorials. Current commissions include a townhouse block in Alexandria, Virginia and additions to various homes. He is also developing two architectural Orders to amend the traditional Orders: The “Levantian” and the “Aeolian”—which will be included in his seven volume treatise on domestic architecture, The Beautiful Home.
Painting and Sculpture
Michael Curtis received a classical training in painting, sculpture, and engraving with a concentration in buon and secco fresco, egg tempera, black oil, and copper engraving at the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts. Later, while attending the University of Michigan (where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree), he studied history, philosophy, and literature. His graduate study in art history at Michigan focused on American Art. Following these studies, Mr. Curtis was a guest scholar at the Kunsthistorisches Institut, Florence, Italy, and while in Italy he became a statue-maker and has worked in this field for over 30 years. Recent commissions include a double portrait, a general’s cartouche, and he is a finalist for the WWI commemorative coin. In the studio are working models for Striding Liberty, a proto-Lysippian Spear-Bearing Alexander, and a Herakles for the “Parallel Lives” series.
Mr. Curtis’ most significant sculptural commissions include The History of Texas at Texas Rangers Ball-Park, Arlington, Texas (the largest US frieze of the 20th Century); numerous portrait busts for the Library of Congress, The Supreme Court Building, and other public buildings, including Justice Thurgood Marshall; and, many public statues, including General Eisenhower. His specialty is portraiture and fine medals, including the George Washington Presidential Medal, the John Marshall Medal in Law, The Federalist Society, James Madison Medal, et cetera. Also to his credit, Mr. Curtis has had over 30 one-man and group exhibitions; his painting, sculpture, and architectural drawings are represented in over 300 private and public collections. Recent commissions include a general’s cartouche, portrait busts, finalist WWI Coin, et cetera.
Miscellaneous
For over 30 years Mr. Curtis has taught art and art history at art schools, colleges, and universities, The College for Creative Studies, The Art League, The Institute of Classical Architecture, et alibi; too, he is a frequent lecturer at museums and associations, including The National Gallery of Art; he was also a guest curator at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Department of African, Oceanic, and New World Cultures.
Curtis’ verse, prose and translations have been published for over 20 years, recently with The Pennsylvania Review, Amphora (The American Philological Association), et cetera. Published books include translations of Afrikaans into English Land of Sunlight and Stars, Public Sculpture of Washtenaw County and The University of Michigan, etc.; current projects include a seven volume review of Western Civilization, Colloquies, The Aestheticon (a tetralogy of libretti), an English verse translation of the Priapeia; recently completed, Liberty Patriots, and Our Classical Heritage (a guide to the art, architecture, and history of Washington, the District of Columbia).
He has held board positions with numerous art and cultural societies, including The National Civic Art Society (Founder), The Society of Classical Poets, The University of Michigan School of Art Board of Governors.
