Robert Lee Morris
Robert Lee Morris was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1947 while his parents were stationed for the war. As a child with his father in the US airforce he moved quite frequently once to Japan when he was nine (which he stayed for four years) and later in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He attended and graduated from Beloit College in 1969 and he eventually settled down in Bellows Falls, Vermont where he began learning about metal working. He began his career in jewelry and sculpture making but began to work more so in jewelry. In 1971 Joan Sonnabend, a New York Gallery owner discovered Morris and exhibited his work at her jewelry and art gallery in the Plaza hotel in New York. The designs sold well and his business grew greatly. His designs have been made in gold, silver and bronze yet he made his name in his 24 Karat matte gold plating as well as use of rich deep red copper and green patinas. His designs sold well and other designers took notice including those at major brands suchs as Geoffrey Beene, Kansai Yamamoto, Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, and Michael Kors to name just a few.
