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Gilbert Franklin

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Gilbert Alfred Franklin (1919–2004) was an English-born American sculptor and educator.[1] He was active in Providence, Rhode Island and Wellfleet, Massachusetts; and was best known for his public art sculptures.[2]

Gilbert Franklin
Franklin (c. 1974)
Born
Gilbert Alfred Franklin

(1919-06-06)June 6, 1919
Birmingham, England
DiedOctober 19, 2004(2004-10-19) (aged 85)
Wellfleet, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other namesGil Franklin
EducationCape Cod School of Art,
Museo Nacional de Arte,
American Academy in Rome
Alma materRhode Island School of Design
Occupation(s)Dean of college, sculptor, educator
Known forSculpture, public art
SpouseJoyce Gertrude Swirsky
Children1

Early life and education

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Gilbert Franklin was born on June 6, 1919, in Birmingham, England, and raised in Attleboro, Massachusetts.[1][3] His father was a jeweler.[3]

Franklin's earliest coursework was at the Hawthorne School of Art (now the Cape Cod School of Art), studying under John Robinson Frazier.[3] He attended Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), graduating with a BFA degree in 1941;[3] as well as completing studies at the Museo Nacional de Arte (in 1942) in Mexico City; and the American Academy in Rome (in 1949).[3] He had been a student of Waldemar Raemisch, and John Howard Benson.[4][1]

Franklin was married to Joyce Gertrude (née Swirsky) and together they had one daughter, art historian Nina Franklin Berson.[1][2]

Career

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Franklin served on the fine arts faculty at RISD between 1942 and 1985.[5] Two of his bronze works are prominent on the RISD campus, Orpheus Ascending (1963) and Daybreak (1968) the latter found on the "RISD beach".[5][6] He had been honored as the H.M. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts;[3] and served as a Dean of the fine arts department at RISD.[7] Additionally he taught at San Jose State University,[2] University of Pennsylvania,[3] Yale University,[3] and Harvard University.[3]

After his former professor Raemisch's death in 1955, Franklin completed Raemisch's 19 figure sculpture commission for public art in Philadelphia.[8]

In 1948, he was awarded the Rome Prize fellowship.[2][9] In 1959, he won the grand prize at the Boston Arts Festival for his work, Beach Figure.[10] Franklin was awarded the honorary title of National Academician (1991).[11]

Franklin died at the age of 85 on October 19, 2004, in his home in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.[2]

  • Gilbert Franklin's work
  •  
    Abraham Lincoln (1954)
  •  
    Orpheus Ascending (1963)
  •  
    Daybreak (1968)
  •  
    with Truman statue (c. 1975)
  •  
    Harry S. Truman statue (1991)

Public works

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  • Abraham Lincoln statue (1954), Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island; gift of the Henry W. Harvey Trust[2][12]
  • Orpheus Ascending (1963), Frazier Terrace, Rhode Island School of Design campus, Providence, Rhode Island[6]
  • Daybreak (1968), Rhode Island School of Design campus, Providence, Rhode Island[6]
  • Harry S. Truman statue (1976), Independence Square, Independence, Missouri[13]
  • U.S. Navy Memorial bas-relief (1991), U.S. Navy Memorial, Washington, DC[7][14]
  • Seaforms (1993), Wellfleet Public Library, Wellfleet, Massachusetts[2][15]

Exhibitions

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  • 1993, Celebrating Long Point, group exhibition, Noel Fine Arts, Bronxville, New York[16][17]
  • 2004, solo, Picture Gallery, Cornish, New Hampshire[18]
  • 2016, The Bridge at the End of the Road, solo exhibition, John Spoor Broome Library Gallery, CSU Channel Islands (CI)[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Kohl, Benjamin G.; Linker, Wayne A.; Kavelman, Buff Suzanne (1995). The Centennial Directory of the American Academy in Rome. American Academy in Rome, American Academy in Rome Society of Fellows. American Academy in Rome. ISBN 978-1-879549-02-9.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Long, Tom (October 30, 2004). "Gilbert Franklin, sculptor noted for public works; at 85". Newspapers.com. The Boston Globe. p. 27. ISSN 0743-1791. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Gilbert Franklin". Provincetown Artist Registry. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  4. ^ "Student Completing Raemisch Sculptures". Newspapers.com. Pasadena Independent. September 8, 1955. p. 28. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  5. ^ a b "Franklin". American Craft. Vol. 63. American Craft Council. 2003. p. 66.
  6. ^ a b c Van Siclen, Bill (September 2, 2015). "5 outdoor sculptures in Providence". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  7. ^ a b "Bas-Relief At Navy Memorial Honors Supply Corps". Newsletter. Supply Systems Command, Navy Department. 1991. p. 8.
  8. ^ "Student is completing Raemisch sculptures". Newspapers.com. Lebanon Daily News. 18 August 1955. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  9. ^ "3 N.E. Students Win Rome Fellowships". Newspapers.com. The Boston Globe, Associated Press. March 15, 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  10. ^ "SCULPTURE WINS PRIZE; Work by Gilbert Franklin Is Honored at Boston Festival". Times Machine. The New York Times. June 8, 1959. p. 29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  11. ^ "Gilbert Alfred Franklin". National Academicians eMuseum. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  12. ^ Fenton, Josh (June 29, 2020). "RI's Statues - A Glowing Tribute to White Men, Animals and Very Few Others". GoLocalProv. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  13. ^ Library of Congress Subject Headings. Vol. 2, Edition 32. Library of Congress. 2010. p. 3435.
  14. ^ Elbich, Chris. "US Navy Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  15. ^ "Exhibit: Wellfleet Public Library". Newspapers.com. The Boston Globe. June 24, 1993. p. 122. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  16. ^ Zimmer, William (1993-01-24). "Artists-Cum-Beach Denizens Have Come In From the Cold". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  17. ^ Zimmer, William (1993-01-24). "Shades of Summer in Katonah, Timeless Works in Bronxville". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  18. ^ "Saint-Gaudens to open May 29". Newspapers.com. Rutland Daily Herald. May 29, 2004. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
  19. ^ Gregory, Kim Lamb (October 12, 2016). "Work of internationally-recognized American artist Gilbert Franklin opening at CI". CSU Channel Islands. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
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