Bernard Joseph “Tony” Rosenthal was born 9 August 1914 in Highland Park, Illinois. He attended the University of Michigan from 1932 to 1936 where he studied psychology, worked for the Michigan Daily, and took the two art classes offered, drawing and sculpture. After graduation, he returned to Chicago and took a sculpture class from Alexander Archipenko. He worked for Archipenko and Saks Fifth Avenue, and taught sculpture classes in a garage that he used as a studio.

In 1939, Tony Rosenthal attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art to study sculpture with Carl Milles. There he met and became friends with Charles Eames, Florence Schust Knoll, Eero Saarinen, and others. During World War II, Rosenthal commanded a unit that created topographical models of terrain. After the war, he taught sculpture at the U.S. Army University in Biarritz, France. There he met and married Halina Kotlowicz. In 1946, the Rosenthal’s moved to California at the suggestion of Charles and Ray Eames. Rosenthal’s first solo exhibition was in 1947 in Monterey. Working on commission for several architectural firms, Rosenthal created a number of sculptures for buildings. He also worked for John Entenza, the publisher of Arts & Architecture, and taught sculpture at UCLA. While still living in California, Rosenthal became affiliated with the Catherine Viviano Gallery in New York City.

In 1960, the Rosenthal’s moved to New York City where Tony Rosenthal showed his works at the Kootz Gallery and later at the M. Knoedler & Co. Gallery. During the 1960s and 1970s, Rosenthal received commissions to create outdoor sculptures in New York City, Honolulu, Ann Arbor, and other cities. In 1980, Rosenthal installed “Cranbrook Ingathering” at the Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum. Additional commissions during the 1980s included pieces in New York City, Houston, Miami, and Bloomington, and, in 1983, he took part in the exhibition Design in America: The Cranbrook Vision 1925-1950 shown in Detroit, New York City, Helsinki, Paris, and London. Among his works of the 1990s are the “J. S. Bach Fugue” and “J. S. Bach Variations” series. After forty-five years of marriage, Halina Rosenthal passed away in 1991. Tony Rosenthal married Cynthia Dillon in 1995.

Tony Rosenthal has had twenty-five solo exhibitions and has participated in numerous group exhibitions. He has been a guest lecturer for several events, and also performed in a play by Pablo Picasso at the Guggenheim Museum. For more detailed information about Rosenthal’s career, see the book, Tony Rosenthal.