Sculpture, large-scale art by marketer Dan Droz at Hertrich gallery

Best known for his marketing firm’s moxie in racking up awards for decades, Dan Droz of Pittsburgh has really been a fine art sculptor all along.

Michael Hertrich Art + Frame in Pittsburgh’s South Side has staged the first major exhibition of Droz’s work, which will be on display until the end of December.

The Droz collection spans many forms, materials and media with some common themes including transformation, interaction, geometry and repetition. Some of the pieces are so large that Hertrich had to rent space additional space adjacent to the gallery.

Who knew? Well, those who have kept up with Droz since his days at Harvard understand that he stayed true to his design roots. Just more than a decade ago, Droz was recognized as a distinguished design alumni of Harvard College’s Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts.

However, gallery owner Michael Hertrich was surprised when he discovered Droz’s work at a communal studio in an industrial building in Point Breeze. Droz had more than 60 sculptures and wall pieces in the building.

Hertrich said, “Combining threads of minimalism, mobility, and constructivism, this is one of the most unique bodies of work I’ve seen.”

Additionally, Hertrich noted that it is rare to view the body of work of a mature artist for the first time.

After graduating cum laude from Harvard, Droz served as guest design director for Mademoiselle Magazine in New York before returning to Pittsburgh to begin his consulting and teaching career, teaching design at Carnegie Mellon University.

He also continued his work as a furniture and product designer and received Industrial Design Magazine’s Designer’s Choice Award, seven Daphne Awards (the “Oscar of Furniture Design”) and Best of U.S. by Abitari Magazine (Italy).

In 2001, Droz left teaching to devote more time to design and product development, specializing in design strategy, market planning and branding, while continuing his fine art work, largely for private clients and corporations.

His consulting firm, Droz and Associates, has been recognized as a Marketer of the Year 31 times, including Grand Marketer of the Year and Agency of the Year in Western Pennsylvania.

Michael Hertrich Art + Frame is located at 2008 East Carson St. and is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Mary Ann Thomas is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Mary Ann at 724-226-4691, mthomas@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MaThomas_Trib.