Narrative Biography
For over 60 years, Eva Montville has been sculpting and exhibiting her work throughout the United States and the Middle East. She grew up in Egypt, later living in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa. Understandably, Eva was eventually drawn to the deserts of Southern California, and fell in love with Joshua Tree after visiting in 1987, becoming a permanent resident in 2004.
Eva first studied sculpture at Columbia University with Ettore Salvatore, and later with New York sculptor Donald Mavros. In 1965, while living in Baghdad, she learned wood carving with renowned Iraqi sculptor, Mohammed Ghani. All three of these teachers have had a profound influence on Eva’s approach to her work.
Eva first studied sculpture at Columbia University with Ettore Salvatore, and later with New York sculptor Donald Mavros. In 1965, while living in Baghdad, she learned wood carving with renowned Iraqi sculptor, Mohammed Ghani. All three of these teachers have had a profound influence on Eva’s approach to her work.
Montville’s artistic expression is rooted in her love of nature, especially the desert environment. “I have always felt an inherent connection with the Earth, and the desert wilderness is where I feel most deeply at one with myself. Natural spaces and land forms inspire my work. My sculptures tell the story of my love affair with the shapes of Nature.”
Eva’s creative process is also a personal attempt to reconcile the dichotomy of Nature’s and human creation. Her sculptures embody a paradox, one of intensely worked and highly finished forms that have the appearance of being shaped by Nature, worn by wind and water.
Eva’s creative process is also a personal attempt to reconcile the dichotomy of Nature’s and human creation. Her sculptures embody a paradox, one of intensely worked and highly finished forms that have the appearance of being shaped by Nature, worn by wind and water.
This intimate relationship with the natural world has made Montville very attuned to the changes happening to the ecosystems of our planet. “I am experiencing a profound grief about the consequences of human interference with the living systems of Earth, and it has become essential for me to express this in my work.” Since 2014, her art has been focused on the need to awaken to the un-sustainability of how we are living on our planet. Part of this effort was the creation of an installation “Gaia’s Grief Transforming”, exhibited during the 2014 Highway 62 Open Studio Tours. In 2017, confronted by reports of accelerated and irreversible global warming, Montville started working on her second large installation, “The Heart Locker”, first shown during the 2019 Highway 62 Open Studio Tours. Her third installation, “The Heart Locker Regenerating” is the result of “…an evolving process I have been going through, mentally/ emotionally/ spiritually, during a time dominated by a pandemic, political upheaval, and the relentless advance of climate change. It reflects my ongoing healing and regeneration.”