Armand LaMontagne
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's pre-eminent sculptors
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
of celebrated personalities.
Education
LaMontagne is a graduate of Worcester AcademyWorcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
and Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
. He is a self-taught artist who has honed his skills through practicing his profession.
Body of work
He is best recognized for his life-size wood and bronze sculptures. His significant sculptures of important personalities are sited at The Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, New YorkCooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
; the New England Sports Museum, Boston, Massachusetts; the Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor
Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor
The General George Patton Museum of Leadership is a museum in Fort Knox, Kentucky, dedicated to the memory of General George S. Patton, Jr., and his life from World War I through the present day. The museum is administered by the U.S. Army Accessions Command, Fort Knox...
, Fort Knox, Kentucky; and the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
, Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
LaMontagne's talents were brought to the national spotlight in the 1970s when he deliberately made a reproduction of a 17th century turned oak Brewster Chair
Brewster Chair
]A Brewster Chair is a rare style of chair made in mid-17th century New England.-Origin:The "Brewster Chair" was named after Willam Brewster, one of the Pilgrim fathers who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. In 1830 the Brewster family of Duxbury donated Elder Brewster's original chair to...
(an iconic Pilgrim
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
chair) to embarrass the "experts". LaMontagne even soaked the chair in salt water to simulate aging. LaMontagne then gave the chair away. Eventually, the Henry Ford Museum purchased the "fake" from a dealer for $9,000. The museum was later notified of their error, when LaMontagne published an admission in the Providence Journal.
LaMontagne has also hand built an authentic 17th-century Rhode Island house called a stone-ender
Stone ender
The Stone-ender is a unique style of Rhode Island architecture that developed in the 17th century where one wall in a house is made up of a large stone chimney.-History:...
in Scituate, Rhode Island
Scituate, Rhode Island
Scituate is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 10,329 at the 2010 census.-History:Scituate was first settled in 1710 by emigrants from Scituate, Massachusetts...
.