Thomas Holland (1917-2004) American, "Hammer Throw" Cast Resin Sculpture. Numbered on top of base 827/900. Signed and dated 1968 on side of base. 

Size: (with bell) 16 X 13 X 13 1/2 in. 

#4858 . 

Thomas Holland was born in Alameda, California in 1917. He was an extremely athletic child, who studied ballet, sailing, boxing, and fencing. His greatest love was horses, in particular playing polo with them, and his charismatic personality, strong voice, and handsome face led him to work as an actor for both radio and television. In his twenties he discovered an interest in art and studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts followed by UC Berkeley, focused on sculpture. After graduating he took further courses at the University of Mexico, and in the late 1950s he began working as a propmaster and sculptor on film sets, including the 1960 science fiction film The Time Machine. He was employed by the Walt Disney Company to craft animal figures for Disneyland, but by the end of the 1960s he was supporting himself solely on original pieces, often in bronze, copper, and iron. In 1976 he was chosen to create a 15 foot tall bronze statue in Sacramento to honor the Pony Express for the nation’s bicentennial, using his own pony Sundance as the model. He continued to produce sculptures and busts, particularly with athletic themes, up into the late 1980s, as well as playing polo regularly with amateur teams throughout Southern California and Florida. In 1988 failing health led him and his wife to relocate to an artists colony in Ajijic, Mexico. Here they both explored painting until Holland passed away in a nursing home in Guadalajara on January 3rd, 2004.