RALPH MARTEL

MARTEL--Ralph William, Jr., a sculptor and painter and professor of art at College of Staten Island, died on Saturday, April 11th of complications from the Covid-19 virus. At the time of his death, Martel was a resident at a memory care facility in Brooklyn, New York. A graduate of Cooper Union in 1962, Martel was an artist who worked with metal and wood among other materials. His art ranged from giant constructions of tubes that inflated and deflated, to abstract expressionist sculptures, to intarsia panels, to revealing the inner geometry of works by artists such as Albrecht Durer. In 1969, along with the artist Jean Dupuy, Martel won first prize at an art competition held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The installment was entitled "Heart Beats Dust." Martel has had shows all over the world including in Medellin, Columbia and Puerto Rico. Martel married his wife Huguette in 1960. They were the first couple to graduate from night school at Cooper Union. He is survived by Huguette as well as his two sons, James and Django and three grandchildren. In addition to being a talented artist, Martel was also a talented musician (he sometimes made his own instruments) and a lover of life.