Biography




The Early Years
1930s
As a teen, Harold carves sculptures out of sand soap and assembles objects from mixed materials. He frequently visits Washington museums where the cultural education he acquires imprints him for life. He is raised in the neighborhood of U-Street N-W, Washington D.C.'s `Black Broadway'. This proximity to famous African-American artists and their audiences combines with his exposure to art from around the world to slowly build in him the resolve to ignore the racism of the time and pursue an artistic career at any cost.
1940-1948
Harold attends Howard University in 1943, where his emerging perspective on the world is shaped by the influence of two professors:  Dr. Bunche, who would become the first African-American appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Dr. Alain Locke, who conveys to Harold his deep understanding and appreciation for African art.
After the Second World War breaks out, he joins the Coast Guard and serves from 1943 to 1945 as a Sonar man. After the war, he returns to his job with the U.S. Post Office while taking sculpture classes at night. His successful and long standing relationships with the cultural elite insert  him into the Washington art world.
In spite of being a black artist in a segregated world, he is propelled by the strength of his vision toward a life of art. He decides to further his studies by using the GI Bill, which provides support for veterans to attend approved schools in the U.S. and abroad. Denied admission to the American University in Washington, he moves to New York City in 1948 to study at the Art Students' League with sculptor William Zorach, engraver Will Barnett, and painter Reginald Marsh. It is there that he meets fellow sculpture student, Peggy Thomas, who becomes his partner for the next thirty years. For a while, he rooms across from the Empire State Building caring for sculptor William Herring in his home and studio. After Herring's death, he moves to a co-op lodging with a group of artists on Bleeker and Cosby Streets. Among some of his associates are print maker Bill Hayter, Mike Goldberg, and painters Frank Stella and William (Charles) Sebree.
Works of that period are sculptures in stone and clay, wood carvings, as well as drawings, prints, and paintings. A plaster cast head created at that time, Mamloi (1948), is acquired by D.C.'s Barnett-Aden gallery and is currently in the collection of the Anacostia Museum of Washington. A unique plaster work, Together (1949), demonstrates the untapped talent already at work in this young artist.
The Formative Years: 1949-1959 
He and Peggy decide to move to Europe where they see a better opportunity to fully realize their vision, free of the racism that permeates American life at that time. He contacts the Russian Cubist-Expressionist sculptor Ossip Zadkine who teaches in Paris, France, and is invited to join his class of a dozen students. In October 1949, they sail off to Europe on the SS De Grasse.
In the context of his apprenticeship with Zadkine, he produces figurative works, solid forms with religious and classical themes, carved out of wood or made in terra cotta, that reflect the strong influence of his teacher. Examples of terra cotta pieces created in 1950 include Salomé, Seated Old Man, the bas-relief A La Pensée (To Thought) and the Resting Gladiator.  Among the wood carvings inspired by Zadkine are Venus de Bois and Orphée (1951).
Other wood carvings, such as Tree Spirit and Poisson Vert (1951), reveal the strong influence of African art. During these first years, he pays frequent visits to Paris' ethnological museum the Musée de l'Homme. In 1952, introduced by Karl Appel, he is commissioned by the Kunstzaal Hamel of Amsterdam, Holland, to produce a series of masks, mostly in terra cotta and wood, for his first one-man show in Europe. These masks, clearly inspired by the works of ancient artists, demonstrate both technical mastery and a deep understanding of the legacy of traditional African expression in modern art. A few of the works created in 1952 for that show are still part of his collection, including the Prophet, Mask #36 and Mask #58 in terra cotta; Orphée (Mask #34) in aluminum, brass, and wood; and Mask #35 in woods of different colors.
During these first years in Paris, he also begins to create more abstract pieces made from different materials, including rope, wire, metal, and other miscellaneous objects he links together. The sculpture Bakota, which is in wood and copper, and the mask la Soeur (The Sister), which is in rope, metal, and terra cotta, both from 1952, are two examples of mixed media, modern abstractions with a strong traditional African undercurrent.
One of his peers at Zadkine's studio is sculptor Shinkichi Tajiri. Their friendship changes the direction of Harold's work as Tajiri teaches him the art of oxygen-acetylene welding. At first Harold uses the technique to assemble odd objects he finds at the Marché au Fer (Iron Market). 1951 examples of these early pieces include Bird of Prey, Tete a Tete (One on One), La Femme (the Woman), and the Horseman. When he eventually discusses this new technique with Zadkine, the latter tersely rebuffs him with the statement, “I do not teach plumbers”. The abrupt exchange is another a pivotal point in Harold's career. Soon thereafter, preferring a freer artistic environment, he takes his studies to L'Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where he meets Herbert Gentry, Ollie Harrington, and Beauford Delaney.
That summer he travels to Majorca, Spain where he is inspired by the driftwood found on the beach. Upon his return to Paris, he begins to integrate steel rods that he bends and flattens into his sculptures. This is the beginning of his Forest series, linear tangled works that uniquely flow natural order into abstract forms. One example of the first Forest pieces is the Forest (1951). By the mid- to late fifties, the Forests grow larger, as in La Foret (1955), Sculpture '58 (1958) and Sculpture '59 (1959). By 1959 variations on this theme begin to evolve into intertwined knots and dangling combs, such as Hanging Knot, Galaxie Suspendue (Suspended Galaxy), and Witches Comb. He also uses rods for more figurative work, as can be seen in 1953 in Parade and Le Vieux (Old Man).
Another major event in the early '50s shapes the direction of his art when he meets the daughter of Julio Gonzales and is profoundly taken by her private collection of her father's work. For many years the influence of Gonzales is evident in Harold's sculptures and he is recognized by art critiques as the “worthy heir” of the master. Works reminiscent of Gonzales include l'Homme aux Mains Sales (Man with Dirty Hands - 1952), Végétal Vibrant Doré (Plant Vibrant Golden - 1953), and Apollon (1956).
Through large group exhibitions like the Salon des Independents, and Salon de Jeune Sculpture, he develops relationships with Michel Seuphor, Anja Staritsky, Cesar, and Sonya Delauney. One of the first shows he has in Paris is the inauguration of the Galerie Huit (1950). This cooperative gallery stems from an association of artists that includes Paul Jenkins, Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Shinkichi Tajiri, Herb Gentry, and Oscar Chelimsky. Other close friends of the time are the artists of the COBRA group, Karl Appel, Corneille, and Hansma. Together this informal community constitutes the European avant-garde, which soon will be called `L'Ecole de Paris' (the Parisian School).
By 1954, he opens the Salle Balzac of Galerie Creuze on Avenue Messine with a two-man show in association with the Belgian-Dutch painter, Bram Bogart. Having a large expanse of space to fill in that gallery, he decides to create larger Forests and develops a new technique of pouring sand inside the steel rods to facilitate the heat transfer and prevent them from splitting in the welding process. It is after that particular exhibit that he begins to integrate hammered plates of metal connected by rods to add body and texture to his work. He coins the term `Plaiton' from the English “plate” and the French “laiton” (brass) to identify this original new series which would evolve over time into separate and distinct styles.
The first works of this series to emerge are characterized by overlapping vertical planes connected bylinear horizontal stems. These sculptures often defy gravity, suspended in thin air or balanced on improbably narrow legs, and are always multi-dimensional. KL-13 and Signal Plaiton in 1957, Plaiton Suspendu (Suspended Plaiton) in 1958 and Winter Plaiton (1959) are examples of these first Plaitons. The fluidity of both the Forest and Plaiton styles is most recognizable in works like Obéron (1959), and culminates around 1960 with the emergence of the Gothic series, such as Gothic Plaiton (1961) and Gothique Plaiton Arc (1965), named after the oval shaped arches prevalent in European architecture following the Roman period ( which is defined by its uniform round arches).
 Besides the Plaiton style, Harold continues to integrate sheets of metal and rods into distinctive shapes. A masterpiece of the time is the King of the Musicians (1955) with its shield-like front plate, reminiscent of African warriors, while fluid rods reflect the motions of a classic music virtuoso, and peculiar objets trouvés (found objects) crown the top the sculpture. While he ventures into more figurative works, such as the Gladiator (1952) and The Girl (1954), he also begins to create solid forms without the linearity of rods in such works as the Matador (1955) and the Furies (1957), as well as the more two-dimensional Hanging Shield (1953) and Shield (1959).
During this decade, while his popularity in Europe soars and expands beyond the borders of France at a rapid pace, he maintains a significant presence in the U.S. art market where he has several important shows and sells works to private collectors and public venues, such as his alma mater, Howard University.
In Europe, he participates in multiple group shows and salons. Among others, he has several more exhibits at Galerie Creuze with contemporaries, including Antonio Tapies and Oscar Chelimsky. He develops a strong following and takes part in numerous other artistic ventures, including appearances in U.S. State Department documentary productions and taking on the role of artistic director for Monitor Productions, an international film consortium. He is also guest speaker at the Sorbonne University of Paris and is featured in widely-read American and international magazines and revues, including Ebony Magazine in 1953.
The Prolific Years: 1960-1969 
In 1960, his name appears for the first time in art reference publications, such as the Dictionaire de la Sculpture Moderne (France) and the Lexicon der Modernem Plastik (Germany). His sculptures are sold worldwide, from Europe to the U.S., and from Canada to Venezuela and Ecuador. He signs a contract with Galerie Karl Flinker which extends until 1967 when he moves from Paris to Brussels, Belgium. Dorothea Speyer, the U.S. Cultural Attaché in Paris, exhibits his work in the USIS galleries several times during the decade, as a talented representative of American artists abroad.
At the beginning of this decade, variations on the Forest series grow even larger with pieces such as the Grille Animée (1962) and La Descente (The Downward Fall - 1964). He begins to pivot the Plaitons by positioning the plates horizontally and the rods vertically, which generates a Forest profile, but aPlaiton look from above. Laiton Fontaine (1962) is an early example of this new variation and the first of a series of fountains that eventually stand in front of public buildings.
Toward the middle of this decade, he returns to semi-figurative solid elements, as in 1966 with Figure Debout (Standing Figure), Dancing Man and Grand Pas (Big Step). The masses in these works are still linked by rods, but the Forest look gives way to a more web-like effect without relinquishing the lightness that characterized early Forests. His play with the empty space in and around sculptures is evident in the impossible balance achieved in the Grand Pas, as is his defiance of gravity in Plaiton Signal and Les Petites Noires (Little Black Girls - 1965).
In 1968, with Plaiton avec Racines (Plaiton with Roots) and Plaiton, Cuivre et Points (Plaiton, Copper, and Dots), his probing of the linear forest versus the use of rods as a web turns into a study in contrasts. Another side of his exploration can be seen in the way he hammers and creates knobs on the plates of the Plaiton part of these works as he probes the textures that can be rendered on a sheet of metal. All these elements are also apparent in a juxtaposition of the pictures of Hal Plaiton and the Great Brussels Plaiton (1968) in the catalog commemorating his 1976 retrospective exhibition at the Maison de la Culture in the Commune of Woluwe-St-Pierre.
In spite of his omni-present sense of humor, a thread of his political commentary remains equally persistent in his work throughout his first decade abroad. Though the struggle for Civil Rights in the U.S. takes place one continent away, he remains deeply connected to the outcome of the segregated world he chose to leave behind. His acute inner political stance is reflected in works such as Political Prisoner (1954), Slave (1963), and Figure Debout (Standing Figure - 1963), with its haunting hooded silhouette reminiscent of the Klu-Klux-Klan.
In 1967, France withdraws from NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) where Peggy has made her career as a civil servant to provide the Cousins family with the security of a salaried income. NATO headquarters are subsequently moved to Brussels, Belgium, and the family follows. Before leaving Paris, major sculptures are sold to important public venues, including the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and the Museums Haus Lange, Lehmbruck, and International in Germany. The departure from Paris is a difficult choice for Harold who has spent the past 20 years carefully building his artistic circle. A certain bitterness sets in, bringing a different type of social commentary, a sarcasm into the folds of the inspiration behind the works of the new decade, culminating in the magnificent, but poignant, Human Comedy series of the mid-70s.
The Later Years:
1970 - 1979 
Not long after the move to Brussels, “Dickie” Goldschnmidt, a local banker and collector of Harold's sculptures,  introduces him to the Belgian art circles. Within four months, Galerie Ad Libitum in Antwerp organizes a major one-man show featuring the Gothics. The show is a huge success and most of the sculptures sell quickly. The momentum from this event is such that Galerie Carefour, located in the heart of Brussels' upscale commercial district, offers Harold a contract for several more solo shows. At the first one, Hergé, the world acclaimed author-creator of the cartoon hero Tintin, purchases the Great Brussels Plaiton (1970).
Soon thereafter, the Middleheim Museum in Antwerp acquires Osaka (1970), a major Plaiton work of monumental proportions, and another piece is sold to Belgium's Museum of Modern Art.
While the Gothics and other Plaitons are prevalent during this period, Harold develops a new style incorporating much fuller shapes, as reflected in Solid Elements (1969), Bloc Man, and Etudes en Masses et Tensions (1970). His return to more figurative work can be seen with La Mer du Nord (1969). Then, beginning with the Crucifixion (1970) and followed by Don Quichote (1973), the Human Comedy series of the `70s unfolds. The passion of earlier years slowly turns to the internal dilemma he perceives as inherent to the human condition with works such as the headless Maillot Jaune (Yellow Jersey), the contorted Buffoon, the distraught Grand Destin (Great Destiny), and the disembodied Maitre de Jeux (Puppet Master). All speak of the vibrant but searing pain that would mark the final two decades of Harold's life.
At the same time, almost as a parting farewell, he returns to combs and knots with pieces like the 1972 Witch's Comb, Witch's Knot, and Hanging Knot and introduces a red period toward the end of the decade with works in copper and steel. These works include Foret Cuivrée (Copper Forest - 1978), Vikking Warrior, and Vikking Flikka (1978), and red tinted steel with Bon Anniversaire (Happy Birthday - 1976).
Raymond Lacroix, another art collector and a personal friend of renown artist Renee Magritte's family, acquires several of Harold's sculptures and proudly displays them next to the Margritte collection in his home. Impressed with Harold's work, he also organizes a 1976 retrospective at the Maison de la Culture of Woluwe-St-Pierre, a commune of Brussels. The town soon after commissions a large fountain for one of its town squares.
1980 - 1992 
From the mid-70s on the pace of Harold's career slows due to his recurring bouts with ill health, both in terms of exhibits and sculpture production. Interest in his work picks up again only  after his death in 1992. During the 1980s, he shows about once a year. He ventures into a new arena by creating the set for a theater production of the Four Pennies Opera. Inexorably, he begins to deal with life and health issues that would slowly undermine his drive. In the Spring of 1980, he develops oral cancer which he fights courageously until his death in 1992. There may be a relation between the method he used to weld (oxygen-acetylene versus arc) and where the cancer developed. For years, long before this was known to science, he insisted that this was the way he chose to work and resisted the use of a protective mask. Until the last few years, he lived life to its fullest, driven by the vision that his art would transcend his mortality.
His studio, unattended for years, develops leaks in the roof which leads to regular flooding, resulting in rusting and water damage to many of his works. One year after his death, his children arrange to have the remaining sculptures crated and shipped to the U.S. where the Cousins now live.
1993 - Present 
Since their arrival, many of the sculptures have been shown in the Washington, DC. area, including the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, where the Human Comedy works were on display from 1996 to 2003. Impressed with the display, school founder Peggy Cooper Cafritz purchased several of his works for her private collection. The Studio Museum in Harlem organized a traveling group exhibit entitled “Explorations in the City of Light: African-American Artists in Paris, 1945-1965”, which toured the U.S. with several important sculptures, they were exhibited at major museums in Chicago, New Orleans, Fort Worth, and Milwaukee. The Michael Rosenfeld Gallery of New York showed several works in separate exhibitions between 1996 and 1999, culminating in a two-man show of Harold's sculptures and Beauford Delaney's paintings.  In 2000, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased Torso (1952).
In June 2000, the Neuberger Museum of Art, in Purchase, NY, included sculptures in an exhibit entitled “Welded Sculpture of the 20th Century”, which was commemorated in an illustrated book of the same name produced by the curator Judy Collischan. The Brooklyn Museum of Art included works in an exhibition entitled “Vital Forms in America 1940 - 1960” and have expressed a desire to acquire a Cousins work for its permanent collection. Cousins sculptures are starting to appear in the international auction marketplace, probably as a result of ownership transfers with the passing of original owners. In our on-going effort to track the Cousins legacy, we hope this website will prompt any and all to provide us with current pictures of these works and inform us of their ultimate location. Thank you.

In memoriam  (click to view parting images of January 1992)

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