Louis Saint-Gaudens (January 1, 1854 – March 8, 1913) was an American sculptor of the Beaux-Arts generation. He was the brother of renowned sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens; Louis later changed the spelling of his name to St. Gaudens to differentiate himself from his well-known brother.
Louis Saint-Gaudens
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| Born | 1854 (1854)
New York City, U.S.
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| Died | 1913 (1914)
Cornish, New Hampshire, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Education | École des Beaux-Arts |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Spouse | Annetta Johnson |
Saint-Gaudens was born in New York City to a French-born father, Bernard Paul Ernest Saint-Gaudens, and an Irish-born mother, Mary McGuiness, Louis received his early training as a cameo cutter from his brother, who later assisted him in beginning his art studies in Rome. In 1878, he and his brother Augustus moved to Paris where they shared a studio and attended the École des Beaux-Arts from 1879 to 1880.
In 1898, he returned to the United States, where he settled in Flint, Ohio, and met his future wife, sculptor Annetta Johnson. Their son, Paul Saint-Gaudens, was a master potter who became known for his Orchard Kiln Pottery Works.
In 1900, the family relocated to Cornish, New Hampshire, a mile away from Louis's brother's studio.[1]
For the rest of his life, Louis Saint-Gaudens not only worked as his brother's assistant but also pursued commissions of his own. He sculpted major pieces for the Boston Public Library, the Church of the Ascension and the Brearley SchoolinNew York City, Washington Union StationinWashington, D.C., the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom HouseinNew York City, St. Louis Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York Life Insurance Company Building in New York City.
He was a recipient of the Joseph Francis U.S. Congressional Medal and the Benjamin Franklin Centennial Medal in 1906.
Over 50 sculptures by Saint-Gaudens, considered his masterworks, were completed for Washington Union StationinWashington, D.C. He was a member of the National Sculpture Society.
Louis Saint-Gaudens died of pneumonia, aged 59, in Cornish, New Hampshire. His home and studio in Cornish, New Hampshire, a former Shaker Meetinghouse, were on the National Register of Historic Places until they were destroyed by fire in 1980.[2]
