Harris Diamant was born in New York City in 1937. He received a B.A. in Comparative Literature from City College of New York and was awarded a Graduate Fellowship from the New York State Board of Regents in 1960.
After a year of post-graduate work in communications at Yeshiva University, he taught junior high school in the Bedford- Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn for six years.
During this time, he began collecting and trading antiques, and in 1966, opened a gallery on East 53rd Street in Manhattan. By 1970, Diamant was known as an authority on live steam models, American toys and scientific instruments. He also dealt extensively in American folk art.
By 1980 his gallery was already half studio... He decided to close the gallery and devote himself fully to creating sculptures. Knowledge and respect for the materials used in the construction of a wide array of objects - particularly metals and various finishes - inspired him to begin metalworking and sculpting. In the process of creating his work, he has taught himself a variety of techniques...wood carving, silver soldering, brazing, welding, lathe-turning, gold leafing...
In 1987 Diamant mounted his first one-man show at the Allan Stone Gallery in New York City. This was followed by another one-man show at the Ricco/Maresca Gallery, also in New York City, in 1988. In 1992 he was awarded first prize in the Art of the Dealer Show at Alexander Gallery in New York City. In 1994 and again in 1995, he showed at group shows at the Luise Ross Gallery in New York City.
Another one-man show mounted in September 1998, at the Giampietro Gallery in New York City, featured a new series of heads called Janus Heads. The multi faced heads incorporated many materials...brass, gold, steel, enamel, wood, glass, Bakelite, leather.
A show of Diamant's work followed at New York University's Windows on Washington Square in 2000. These works comprised Diamant's latest series of sculptures, examples of which were published in the June 1999 and January 2002 issues of Harper's Magazine.
The heads were also shown on a series of eight ABC-TV Nightline specials hosted by Robert Krulwich, entitled "Brave New World," which aired in August and September 1999. A studio show, under the auspices of Ricco/Maresca Gallery occurred in 2002.
Although drawing has always been an ancillary process to sculpting for Diamant, he devoted himself exclusively to that process for two years, beginning in 2002. This work was featured in a one man show at Bucheron Gallery in San Francisco in 2006. A one-man show of new work was held at Obsolete Gallery in Venice, CA, in 2008. Luise Ross Gallery in the Chelsea section of NYC held a show of Diamant’s work in September of 2014. Obsolete Gallery named the contemporary section of their gallery Slete Gallery when they moved to Culver City CA in 2015.
It’s here, at Slete Gallery in Culver City CA, that a one-man show of Diamant’s new work will be held from September 10 through October 11, 2015.
Diamant is currently represented by
Slete Gallery in Culver City, CA.