- Born:
- March 1, 1848, Dublin, Ireland
- Died:
- Aug. 3, 1907, Cornish, New Hampshire, U.S. (aged 59)
- Awards And Honors:
- Hall of Fame (1920)
Augustus Saint-Gaudens
-
Who was Augustus Saint-Gaudens?
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) was an Irish-born American sculptor widely considered the foremost of the late 19th century. He was known for his subtle modeling and evocative memorial statues.
At age 13, Saint-Gaudens apprenticed as a cameo cutter while studying at Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design. In 1867, he went to Paris and was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts. After 1875, he settled in New York, collaborating with notable figures such as Henry Hobson Richardson and Stanford White.
His notable works include the monument to Admiral David Farragut, the memorial to Mrs. Henry Adams, the statue of a standing Abraham Lincoln, and the Sherman Monument. Saint-Gaudens also designed U.S. coins, including the $10 gold piece of 1906 and the $20 gold piece of 1907.
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What is Augustus Saint-Gaudens best known for?
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) was the foremost American sculptor of the late 19th century. He was known for his memorial statues and the subtle modeling of his low reliefs.
Some of Saint-Gaudens's works include the monument to Admiral David Farragut (1880), the memorial to Mrs. Henry Adams (1891), and the Robert G. Shaw monument in Boston (1897). He also designed U.S. coins, such as the head on the \$10 gold piece of 1906 and the \$20 gold piece of 1907.
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What style of sculpture did Saint-Gaudens create?
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the foremost American sculptor of the late 19th century, known for his memorial statues and subtle modeling of low reliefs. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Beaux-Arts is characterized by using historic forms, rich decorative detail, and a tendency toward monumental conception. Saint-Gaudens' style was also influenced by Renaissance medals and his early work as a cameo cutter. Some of his most noted works include the monument to Admiral David Farragut, the memorial to Mrs. Henry Adams, and the Sherman Monument.
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What are some famous works made by Saint-Gaudens?
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the foremost American sculptor of the late 19th century. Some of his famous works include the monument to Admiral David Farragut (1880), two caryatids for a fireplace in Cornelius Vanderbilt’s residence (1881), Amor Caritas (1887), and a statue of a standing Abraham Lincoln (1887). The memorial to Mrs. Henry Adams (1891) in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C., is considered by many to be Saint-Gaudens’s greatest work. In 1897, he completed the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, a monument in Boston depicting Robert G. Shaw, colonel of an African American regiment in the Civil War. Saint-Gaudens also designed U.S. coins, including the head on the $10 gold piece of 1906 and the $20 gold piece of 1907.
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How did Saint-Gaudens influence public monuments in America?
Augustus Saint-Gaudens, considered the foremost American sculptor of the late 19th century, significantly impacted public monuments through his evocative memorial statues and subtle modeling in low relief.
After settling in New York in 1875, he collaborated with architects like Henry Hobson Richardson, Stanford White, and Charles Follen McKim, along with painter John La Farge, contributing to an American artistic renaissance. His notable works include the monument to Admiral David Farragut (1880), the memorial to Mrs. Henry Adams (1891), the Robert G. Shaw memorial (1897), and the Sherman Monument (1903), each demonstrating his ability to capture movement and emotion.
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What lasting impact did Saint-Gaudens have on American art and sculpture?
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848–1907) is considered the foremost American sculptor of the late 19th century. He is known for his memorial statues and the subtle modeling of his low reliefs anchor text.
After 1875, having studied in Paris and Rome, Saint-Gaudens settled in New York, where he collaborated with architects and painters, becoming part of an American artistic renaissance. His notable works include the monument to Admiral David Farragut, the memorial to Mrs. Henry Adams, a statue of Abraham Lincoln, the Robert G. Shaw Memorial, and the Sherman Monument anchor text. Saint-Gaudens also designed U.S. coins, including the $10 gold piece of 1906 and the $20 gold piece of 1907 anchor text.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (born March 1, 1848, Dublin, Ireland—died Aug. 3, 1907, Cornish, New Hampshire, U.S.) was generally acknowledged to be the foremost American sculptor of the late 19th century, noted for his evocative memorial statues and for the subtle modeling of his low reliefs.
Saint-Gaudens was born to a French father and an Irish mother. His family moved to New York City when he was an infant and at age 13 he was apprenticed to a cameo cutter. He earned his living at this craft, while studying at night at Cooper Union (1861–65) and the National Academy of Design (1865–66) in New York. In 1867 he traveled to Paris and was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts. Along with Olin Levi Warner and Howard Roberts, Saint-Gaudens was one of the first Americans to study sculpture in Paris. Late in 1870 he set out for Rome, where, still supporting himself by cameo cutting, he worked for two years copying famous antique statues on commission. He also started to create his first imaginative compositions during this period.
After 1875 Saint-Gaudens settled in New York, where he befriended and collaborated with a circle of men who formed the nucleus of an American artistic renaissance: the group included the architects Henry Hobson Richardson, Stanford White, and Charles Follen McKim and the painter John La Farge. The most important work of Saint-Gaudens’s early career was the monument to Admiral David Farragut (1880, Madison Square Garden, New York), the base of which was designed by White.
From 1880 to 1897 Saint-Gaudens executed most of the well-known works that gained him his great reputation and many honours. Working with La Farge, in 1881 he created two caryatids for a fireplace in Cornelius Vanderbilt’s residence. In 1887 he began the Amor Caritas, which, with variations, preoccupied him from about 1880 to 1898, and also a statue of a standing Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln Park, Chicago). The memorial to Mrs. Henry Adams (1891) in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, D.C., is considered by many to be Saint-Gaudens’s greatest work. In 1897 Saint-Gaudens completed a monument in Boston depicting Robert G. Shaw, colonel of an African American regiment in the Civil War. The statue is remarkable for its expression of movement. Shortly thereafter, Saint-Gaudens left for Paris, where, over the next three years, he prepared his final major public sculpture, the Sherman Monument (1903), which was eventually erected in Grand Army Plaza in New York.
Saint-Gaudens also made many medallions, originally as a diversion from more serious tasks. These works show the influence of Renaissance medals as well as his early cameos. Among them are designs for U.S. coins (the head on the $10 gold piece of 1906 and the $20 gold piece of 1907) and a considerable number of portraits. His autobiography, The Reminiscences of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, was published in 1913.