Cyrus Tilton found his place among the most innovative and imaginative American sculptors of his generation in the years before his tragic death at age thirty-nine in 2017. 

The sculptor's preparatory studies reveal his skill as a talented draftsman. Tilton worked most often in papier-mâché and often included an array of materials ranging from steel and concrete to wood, muslin, and twine some pieces he ingeniously endowed with motion. "I try not to hide the material I am using." he said, "and allow its qualities to show through in the finished piece."

Tilton was born in Palmer, Alaska in 1977. He was awarded a full tuition scholarship to Seattle Art Institute, and graduated in 1998. He moved to Oakland, CA in 1999, where he lived with his wife Lisa, and worked briefly in special-effects animation before becoming lead sculptor at Scientific Art Studio in Richmond, CA.

During his lifetime, Tilton was the subject of over nine solo exhibitions and a member of numerous group shows, many curated by his representative Lonnie Lee and mounted at Vessel Gallery, in Oakland, CA. In the year before his death he was awarded the inaugural John S. Knudsen Prize by The Crocker Art Museum (Sacramento, CA) who also acquired his "Lovers". This work is part of Tilton's immersive, kinetic installation "The Cycle", which the museum will exhibit in its entirety in 2018