Arthur C. Morgan
Encyclopedia
Arthur C. Morgan was an American sculptor, mostly of Louisiana
political and business figures. Morgan's work can be seen across his home state of Louisiana and in the Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, DC. He and his wife Gladys B. Morgan ran an art school, the Southwestern Institute of Arts, in their Shreveport home for over forty years.
, a mostly vocational art school. He became a private pupil and protégé of Gutzon Borglum
and worked in the studios of Mario Korbel
, Attilio Piccirilli
and others.
and bas-reliefs, often in bronze
. He also made decorative bronzes and garden sculptures.
In 1928 Morgan went back to Louisiana to begin work on a proposed Longfellow Evangeline
national monument at Bayou Teche
in St. Martinville
. Although Morgan worked in New Orleans on models for the project, it ended at that stage owing to funding woes.
That same year Morgan settled permanently in Shreveport where he taught sculpture
, drawing
and art history
at Centenary College
. There he met faculty member and watercolor artist Gladys Butler (born 1899), whom he married on July 26, 1929 in McDonald County, Missouri
. In 1934 the Morgans left the college and began an art and music school in their home, calling it the Southwestern Institute of Arts.
The Morgans had two daughters, Diana Morgan Welsh (born 1930) and Cynthia Butler Morgan (born 1932). Cynthia died in May 1936 following a house fire. For his daughter's tombstone Morgan designed a granite
medallion, with a bas-relief profile of the girl and Celtic
lettering, which is listed by the Smithsonian. Following the fire, the Morgans moved with their art school to 657 Jordan Street in Shreveport where it stayed open for more than forty years. Built in 1909, by 2011 the classical revival, two-story, four-columned house was still standing but abandoned.
In 1975, after leasing their Shreveport property and furnishings to Max Edmonson, president of the Shreveport Boys choir, Morgan and his wife moved to London
from whence they hoped to acquire marble
in Italy
for some of his sculpting projects. However these plans fell through and they came back to the United States in January 1978.
Morgan sculpted many busts and decorative bronzes, among them larger architectural sculptures and marble groups. His work is in private collections and public buildings such as Louisiana State University
, Centenary College
, the US Federal Court House at Alexandria, Louisiana and the US Capitol in Washington D.C. Through the span of his career Morgan had long-lasting friendships with Jules Bache
, Bernard M. Baruch, Lincoln Borglum
, Frances Elliott Clark
and Jean Despujols.
His wife Gladys B. Morgan died in 1981. Arthur C. Morgan died on September 9, 1994 in Shreveport, after which much of his work was reportedly thrown away or abandoned, though some was later recovered and put in storage. Morgan, his wife Gladys and their daughter Cynthia are buried together in the same family plot at Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport. His grave is unmarked.
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
political and business figures. Morgan's work can be seen across his home state of Louisiana and in the Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, DC. He and his wife Gladys B. Morgan ran an art school, the Southwestern Institute of Arts, in their Shreveport home for over forty years.
Early life and education
Born Arthur Carmine Morgan on August 3, 1904 at Riverton Plantation in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, he was educated in Louisiana public and private schools. At an early age Morgan went to New England and New York where he attended art schools and graduated from New York's Beaux-Arts Institute of DesignBeaux-Arts Institute of Design
The Beaux-Arts Institute of Design was an art and architectural school at 304 East 44th Street in Turtle Bay, Manhattan, in New York City...
, a mostly vocational art school. He became a private pupil and protégé of Gutzon Borglum
Gutzon Borglum
Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum was an American artist and sculptor famous for creating the monumental presidents' heads at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, the famous carving on Stone Mountain near Atlanta, as well as other public works of art.- Background :The son of Mormon Danish immigrants, Gutzon...
and worked in the studios of Mario Korbel
Mario Korbel
Mario Joseph Korbel, American sculptor born in Osik, Bohemia on March 22, 1882 to a clergyman, Joseph Korbel and his wife Katherina Dolezal Korbel. He began studying sculpture in his homeland, continuing his studies after moving to the United States at age 18...
, Attilio Piccirilli
Attilio Piccirilli
Attilio Piccirilli was an American sculptor.Born in the province of Massa-Carrara, Italy, he was educated at the Accademia di San Luca of Rome.-Life and career:...
and others.
Sculpting and teaching career
Morgan began exhibiting his work at age fifteen. At least one critic called him a "boy prodigy." At age sixteen in 1920 Morgan was given his first commission, for a bust of physician Simon Baruch (father of financier Bernard M. Baruch). This led to more commissions for bustsBust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
and bas-reliefs, often in bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
. He also made decorative bronzes and garden sculptures.
In 1928 Morgan went back to Louisiana to begin work on a proposed Longfellow Evangeline
Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site
Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, located in St. Martinville, Louisiana, showcases the cultural significance of the Bayou Teche region. It is the oldest state park site in Louisiana, founded in 1934 as the Longfellow-Evangeline State Commemorative Area. Evangeline, of course, was the epic...
national monument at Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
in St. Martinville
St. Martinville, Louisiana
St. Martinville is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on Bayou Teche, sixteen miles south of Breaux Bridge, eighteen miles southeast of Lafayette, and nine miles north of New Iberia. The population was 6,989 at the 2000 census. It is part of the...
. Although Morgan worked in New Orleans on models for the project, it ended at that stage owing to funding woes.
That same year Morgan settled permanently in Shreveport where he taught sculpture
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...
, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
and art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
at Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
. There he met faculty member and watercolor artist Gladys Butler (born 1899), whom he married on July 26, 1929 in McDonald County, Missouri
McDonald County, Missouri
McDonald County is a county located in Southwest Missouri in the United States of America. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 23,083. Its county seat is Pineville...
. In 1934 the Morgans left the college and began an art and music school in their home, calling it the Southwestern Institute of Arts.
The Morgans had two daughters, Diana Morgan Welsh (born 1930) and Cynthia Butler Morgan (born 1932). Cynthia died in May 1936 following a house fire. For his daughter's tombstone Morgan designed a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
medallion, with a bas-relief profile of the girl and Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
lettering, which is listed by the Smithsonian. Following the fire, the Morgans moved with their art school to 657 Jordan Street in Shreveport where it stayed open for more than forty years. Built in 1909, by 2011 the classical revival, two-story, four-columned house was still standing but abandoned.
In 1975, after leasing their Shreveport property and furnishings to Max Edmonson, president of the Shreveport Boys choir, Morgan and his wife moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from whence they hoped to acquire marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
for some of his sculpting projects. However these plans fell through and they came back to the United States in January 1978.
Morgan sculpted many busts and decorative bronzes, among them larger architectural sculptures and marble groups. His work is in private collections and public buildings such as Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, Centenary College
Centenary College of Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana is a primarily undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college in Shreveport, Louisiana. The college is one of the founding members of the Associated Colleges of the South, a pedagogical organization consisting of sixteen Southern liberal arts colleges...
, the US Federal Court House at Alexandria, Louisiana and the US Capitol in Washington D.C. Through the span of his career Morgan had long-lasting friendships with Jules Bache
Jules Bache
Jules Semon Bache was a German-born American banker, art collector and philanthropist.-Biography:Born in Germany, as a young boy his family emigrated to the United States, settling in New York City. In 1881, he started work as a cashier at Leopold Cahn & Co., a stockbrokerage firm founded by his...
, Bernard M. Baruch, Lincoln Borglum
Lincoln Borglum
James Lincoln de la Mothe Borglum was an American sculptor, photographer, author and engineer; he was best known for overseeing the completion of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial after the death in 1941 of the project's leader, his father Gutzon Borglum.Named after his father's favorite...
, Frances Elliott Clark
Frances Elliott Clark
Frances Elliott Clark was an early music appreciation advocate. As a teacher in nineteenth century Ottumwa, Iowa, Clark spent ten minutes in each of her chorus rehearsals students telling them about composers or helping them recognize the stylistic features of the work that made it possible to...
and Jean Despujols.
His wife Gladys B. Morgan died in 1981. Arthur C. Morgan died on September 9, 1994 in Shreveport, after which much of his work was reportedly thrown away or abandoned, though some was later recovered and put in storage. Morgan, his wife Gladys and their daughter Cynthia are buried together in the same family plot at Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport. His grave is unmarked.
Works and commissions
- Simon Baruch, (private collection) 1921
- Henry L. FuquaHenry L. FuquaHenry Luse Fuqua was a Baton Rouge businessman Fuqua defeated both Huey Pierce Long, Jr., and Lieutenant Governor Hewitt Leonidas Bouanchaud in the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 1924 to succeed the term-limited John M. Parker...
, Louisiana governor, 1924. - James M. Smith, president of Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, 1931. - R. B. Butler, judge, originally at the Terrebonne Parish Courthouse, Houma Louisiana, 1936.
- Cynthia medallion, 1936.
- Cecil MorganCecil MorganCecil Morgan, Sr. was a leader of the legislative forces that in 1929 attempted to impeach Louisiana Governor Huey Pierce Long, Jr...
, vice president of Esso Standard Oil Co. (private collection), 1939. - Edward Douglass WhiteEdward Douglass WhiteEdward Douglass White, Jr. , American politician and jurist, was a United States senator, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and the ninth Chief Justice of the United States. He was best known for formulating the Rule of Reason standard of antitrust law. He also sided with the...
, US supreme court justice, Capitol Visitor Center, Washington D.C., 1954 (given in 1955). - S.D. Morehead, memorial, Centenary College campus, 1957.
- Earl K. Long, Louisiana governor, monument, Winnfield, Louisiana, 1962.
- Henry Miller ShreveHenry Miller ShreveHenry Miller Shreve was the American inventor and steamboat captain who opened the Mississippi, Ohio and Red rivers to steamboat navigation. Shreveport, Louisiana, is named in his honor....
monument, Riverfront Pkwy, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1967. - Clyde E. Fant, mayor of Shreveport, 1975
- Jean Despujols, French- American painter, (private collection), 1948 & 1977
- John D. EwingJohn D. EwingJohn Dunbrack Ewing, Sr. , was a Louisiana journalist who served as editor and publisher of both the Shreveport Times and the Monroe News-Star-World from 1931 until his death. He was also affiliated with radio station KWKH in Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish in northwestern Louisiana...
, editor and publisher, Shreveport Times Building. - Marquis Gilbert de LafayetteMajor General Marquis Gilbert de LafayetteMajor General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette is a statue in Lafayette Park, by Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguiere.It was cast in 1890, and installed in April 1891.The inscription reads: Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguiere...
, French general, unveiled at the Waldorf-Astoria HotelWaldorf-Astoria HotelThe Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
, N.Y., 1922 - Lyle SaxonLyle SaxonLyle Saxon was a respected New Orleans writer, and journalist who reported for The Times-Picayune.-Life:He was born in Bellingham, Washington. He lived in the French Quarter; Sherwood Anderson, William Faulkner, Roark Bradford, and Edmund Wilson visited.He was an ardent student of the history of...
, New Orleans journalist, Times-Picayune, 1931 - Peter Bonneau Jr., memorial medallion, Kappa Alpha Fraternity, 1947
- Van CliburnVan CliburnHarvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. is an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at age 23, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War....
medallion, Symphony House, 1958 - A. J. HodgesHodges Gardens State ParkHodges Gardens State Park, previously known as Hodges Gardens, Park and Wilderness Area, is located on between Florien and Hornbeck, near the Toledo Bend Reservoir of the Sabine River in Sabine Parish, in west central Louisiana. The park is located on U.S. Highway 171 some fifteen miles south of...
, Hodges Gardens, 1972 - John McWilliams Ford, mayor of Shreveport and later commissioner of finance (1930-1965).
- Stone carvings, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Holy Rosary Catholic Church.
- James Cousins, Michigan senator, portrait bust
- Joseph E. RansdellJoseph E. RansdellJoseph Eugene Ransdell was a United States Representative and Senator from Louisiana. Born in Alexandria, the seat of Rapides Parish in central Louisiana, Ransdell attended public schools. In 1882, he graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York...
, Louisiana senator - Transportation of the Mails (bronzes), U.S. Post Office & Courthouse, Alexandria, Louisiana
- Fountain figures, Bossier Center and Kilpatrick Life Insurance Building.