Martin J. Beck is a sculptor, designer, composer, and all-around visionary. He's has decades of experience leading multidisciplinary creative firms, creating unique customer experiences, and making innovative and eye catching works of art.
Always a contrarian, with a quick wit and keen intelligence, Martin has been one of the top leaders in the design industry since the early 1970's, driving and leading some of the top design firms both nationally and internationally. From his time at the helm of Fitch, to his impact founding Big Red Rooster and turning it into a global design powerhouse, he's always had a focus on creating unique experiences - a skill evident in his new body of sculptural work.
Martin grew up in New York. After high school he went on to graduate at the top of his class from Pratt Institute in New York. At the time, there was not a sculpture degree at Pratt, so he ended with a degree in Industrial Design - where he graduated first in his class and won the first Walter Darwin Teaque award for industrial design graduates. After graduating from Pratt, he hopped around agencies in New York City before taking on high level roles at places like Richardson/Smith, Fitch Worldwide, and Lighthouse Global Network.
He then founded Big Red Rooster with partner Aaron Spiess, a multidimensional brand experience firm based in Columbus, OH. While CEO of Big Red Rooster he led ground breaking campaigns for many leading international brands. After the acquisition of Big Red Rooster by Jones, Lang, Lasalle (JLL), he decided it was time to start focusing on making impactful art in his workshop, not in the boardroom.
After retiring in 2017, his passion for sculpture reemerged and he hasn't slowed down since. Martin imbues his pieces with a strength, brightness and a touch of whimsy that is reflective of the artist he has always been. He makes wild sculptural works that are designed to be poignant in any environment using his eye for optical illusions and a lifetime of design experience. Sharp angles, intentional reflections, and cascading color combinations are his signature, and are just as evident in his sculptures as they are in his larger than life personality.