He won a prestigious P.S.F.S. scholarship award at the age of 16, presented by Eugene Ormandy at The Philadelphia Academy of Music.
He graduated from Mastbaum High School, delivering the valedictorian address, earning a full scholarship, and went on to earn his B.A. in Fine Arts from Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) in 1956.
While in art school Charles served his country in the Naval Reserve during the early 1950's, after classes on nights and weekends, and went on active duty upon completing college.
He began his long career as a professional artist when he co-founded Madden Barron & Barron, a graphics design and advertising firm, garnering accounts with Ford Motor Co, producing early advertising for the Mustang, Atlantic Richfield, Honeywell, Rohm & Haas and creating religious iconography for the Medical Mission Sisters of Philadelphia.
His artistic reach quickly expanded and evolved across a diversity of media, including sketches, painting, stained glass, sculpture, tapestries and mosaics.
In the mid 1960's he founded Contemporary Stained Glass Corporation, producing religious designs and large stained glass windows for Gwynedd Mercy Chapel, The Sons of Israel Synagogue, Holy Redeemer Chapel, The Norbertine Monastery, St. Margaret's Catholic Church, The Passionist Nuns and many other religious sites throughout the country.
He later founded Urban Arts as an outlet for creating public and corporate art for such diverse installations as Sacred Heart Hospital, The Philadelphia Electric Company, Louis I. Kahn Memorial Park, Penn Mutual Insurance Company, Houston Natural Gas and many private collectors.
Madden's interest in new forms of art media extended into designs of custom-made stained glass hand-crafted in Darmstadt, Germany, tapestry designs woven in Aubusson, France and Barcelona, Spain, and sculptures crafted from marble he selected from the travertine quarries of Northern Italy. During this time period, he created numerous steel, bronze, marble and enamel sculptures.
He routinely traveled the world in search of the finest materials for his works of art. Projects included commissions for Sun Oil Corporate Headquarters, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, and The Gallery at Center City.
In 1972 he was chosen as the artist representing the United States at the Basilica of Nazareth, Israel, creating a monumental bronze, aluminum and glass enamel sculpture of Mary's Ascension to Heaven. During this period, he was commissioned to design the Papal Vestments worn by Pope Paul XXIII and bishops from around the world assembled for the Eucharistic Congress held at J.F.K. Stadium in Philadelphia. The chalice elevated by the Pope at this event was a Charles Madden creation.
In the 1990's he formed Architectural Features, LLC, creating large works commissioned by the U. S. Department of State for the embassies in Cairo, Egypt and Chengdu, China.
During this period he also created a large mosaic installation in the center atrium of the Harrisburg International Airport, and bronze, glass and mosaic works for The Carmelite Monastery and Saint Augustine Chapel at Villanova University.
For the Turn of the Millennium, he was commissioned by the Franciscan Order custodians of sacred sites of the Holy Land, to create a monumental 12 foot bronze sculpture of St. Peter at the site of Peter's home on the Sea of Galilee, Capharnaum, Israel which was blessed and dedicated by Pope John Paul II at a Papal visit in March, 2000.
His profession took him many places and situations throughout the world, during a visit to Australia, to meet with the new Archbishop of Victoria, the 9/11 attacks occurred and he was asked to speak on Australian radio to provide an American perspective on the tragedy.
He continued to work on major projects until the end of his life. At the time of his death, he was creating a monumental bronze sculpture of Moses for the Franciscan Order, to be installed at Mt. Nebo, Amman, Jordan, the burial site of Moses.
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