Louis St. Gaudens
Encyclopedia
Louis St. Gaudens was a significant American
sculptor
of the Beaux-Arts generation.
He was the brother of renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens
. Louis changed the spelling of his name to St. Gaudens to differentiate himself from his well-known brother.
Born to a French
father, Barnard Paul Ernest Saint-Gaudens and an Irish
mother, he was raised in New York
and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris
in 1899.
St. Gaudens' wife, Annette Johnson. His son, Paul St. Gaudens, was a master potter and known for his Orchard Kiln Pottery Works. St. Gaudens died of pneumonia
on March 8, 1913. St. Gaudens home and studio in Cornish, New Hampshire was a former Shaker Meetinghouse and is on the National Register of Historic Places and a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
St. Gaudens' brother taught him cameo-cutting and later assisted him in beginning his art studies in Rome
. He studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris from 1879 to 1880.
St. Gaudens sculpted major pieces for the Boston Public Library, Church of the Ascension, NYC, Brearly School, NYC, Union Station, Washington, DC, U.S. Customs House, NYC, St. Louis Art Museum, Metropolitan Art Museum, NYC, New York Life Insurance Company Building, NYC and the Joseph Francis U.S. Congressional Metal and the Benjamin Franklin Centennial Medal of 1906.
His completion of over fifty sculptures for Washington, DC's Union Station is considered his masterwork.
He was a member of the National Sculpture Society
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor
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 the Beaux-Arts generation.
He was the brother of renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the Irish-born American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation who most embodied the ideals of the "American Renaissance"...
. Louis changed the spelling of his name to St. Gaudens to differentiate himself from his well-known brother.
Born to a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
father, Barnard Paul Ernest Saint-Gaudens and an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
mother, he was raised in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1899.
St. Gaudens' wife, Annette Johnson. His son, Paul St. Gaudens, was a master potter and known for his Orchard Kiln Pottery Works. St. Gaudens died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on March 8, 1913. St. Gaudens home and studio in Cornish, New Hampshire was a former Shaker Meetinghouse and is on the National Register of Historic Places and a U.S. National Historic Landmark.
Artwork
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris from 1879 to 1880.
St. Gaudens sculpted major pieces for the Boston Public Library, Church of the Ascension, NYC, Brearly School, NYC, Union Station, Washington, DC, U.S. Customs House, NYC, St. Louis Art Museum, Metropolitan Art Museum, NYC, New York Life Insurance Company Building, NYC and the Joseph Francis U.S. Congressional Metal and the Benjamin Franklin Centennial Medal of 1906.
His completion of over fifty sculptures for Washington, DC's Union Station is considered his masterwork.
He was a member of the National Sculpture Society
National Sculpture Society
Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members included several renowned architects. The founding...
.
Significant Works
- 1890 Eagle and nest of eaglets - New York Life Insurance BuildingNew York Life Insurance Building (Kansas City)The New York Life Building is a highrise building completed in 1890 in Kansas City, Missouri. The tower is one of six buildings built by New York Life Insurance across the United States, and it is regarded as the first skyscraper in the city and the first to have elevators.-Background:The building...
, Kansas City, MO - 1891 Young St. John the Baptist - Font of Church of the Ascension (New York)Church of the Ascension (New York)The Church of the Ascension is an Episcopal church in the Diocese of New York, located at 36-38 Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan New York City. From an austere beginning as a bastion of the evangelical movement it has become internationally known for...
- 1894 Lions - Boston Public LibraryBoston Public LibraryThe Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was the first publicly supported municipal library in the United States, the first large library open to the public in the United States, and the first public library to allow people to...
, Boston, MA - 1896 Statue of Homer - Main Reading Room, Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Washington, DC - 1905 Holland Statue, Exterior of Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom HouseAlexander Hamilton U.S. Custom HouseThe Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House is a building in New York City, built 1902–1907 by the federal government to house the duty collection operations for the port of New York. It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park, at 1 Bowling Green...
, New York, NY - 1905 Portugal Statue, Exterior of Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom HouseAlexander Hamilton U.S. Custom HouseThe Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House is a building in New York City, built 1902–1907 by the federal government to house the duty collection operations for the port of New York. It is located near the southern tip of Manhattan, next to Battery Park, at 1 Bowling Green...
, New York, NY - 1908 Joseph FrancisJoseph FrancisJoseph Francis was a 19th-century American inventor who devoted his life to improving maritime equipment, especially life-saving tools...
Medal, United States Mint - 1912 The Progress of RailroadingThe Progress of RailroadingThe Progress of Railroading is group of public artworks by American artist Louis St. Gaudens. This series of six sculptures were cut by Andrew E. Bernasconi, a high-grade Italian stone workman, between 1909 and 1911. These statues are located at Union Station in Washington, D.C., United States...
, Union Station (Washington, D.C.)Union Station (Washington, D.C.)Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses... - 1914 Forty-six Roman Legionnaire Statues - Interior of Union Station (Washington, D.C.)Union Station (Washington, D.C.)Washington Union Station is a train station and leisure destination visited by 32 million people each year in the center of Washington, D.C. The train station is served by Amtrak, MARC and Virginia Railway Express commuter rail services as well as by Washington Metro subway trains and local buses...