102297 | UNITED STATES. Thomas Wilfred/Clavilux bronze Medal.

102297  |  UNITED STATES. Thomas Wilfred/Clavilux bronze Medal. Issued 1968. Commemorating the life of the musician and inventor (67mm, 184.58 g, 12h). By J. Kiselewski and struck by the Medallic Art Co. in New York.

 

THOMAS WILFRED, bust left / • PIONEER IN LUMIA • THE ART OF LIGHT • / INVENTOR OF THE CLAVILUX, Wilfred standing slightly left, projecting his light art. Edge: MEDALLIC ART CO. N.Y. BRONZE.

 

Marqusee –. Choice Gem Mint State. Glossy deep brown surfaces.

 

Born in Denmark in 1889 as Richard Edgar Løvstrøm, Thomas Wilfred is best known for his light art, a medium which he named "lumia." With an upbringing that exposed him to photography, painting, and music, he eventually amalgamized these arts into what he would later refer to as "an eighth art," that being the art of light. He coined the term "clavilux" for the mechanical instrument by which he, or anyone else, could perform light art, utilizing it for recitals or even museum installations. Owing to his desire that the medium be presented specifically through his clavilux machines, the means by which his works may be experienced has dwindled with the aging of the machines themselves. Nevertheless, he and his art had a profound effect upon those who experienced it, including artists in the Psychedelic era. This medal was commissioned by Wilfred's son, Thomas C. Wilfred, to commemorate his life and pioneering efforts in light art. The younger Wilfred was active in the collecting of art medals, and even served as a president for the New York Numismatic Club.

 

Upload: 16 January 2023.

 

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