Leonard Baskin
Encyclopedia
Leonard Baskin was an American sculptor, book-illustrator, wood-engraver, printmaker, graphic artist, writer and teacher.
, he founded Gehenna Press, a small private press specializing in fine book production.
From 1953 until 1974, he taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College
in Northampton, Massachusetts
. Subsequently Baskin also taught at Hampshire College
in Amherst, Massachusetts.
He lived most of his life in the U.S., but spent nine years in Devon
at Lurley Manor, Lurley, near Tiverton, close to his friend Ted Hughes
, for whom he illustrated Crow
. Sylvia Plath
dedicated "Sculptor" to Leonard Baskin. It was the penultimate poem in The Colossus (1960).
His public commissions include a bas relief for the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
and a bronze statue of a seated figure, erected in 1994 for the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan
.
His works are owned by many major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
, the Museum of Modern Art
, the Art Institute of Chicago
, the Boca Raton Museum of Art
, the British Museum
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
and the Vatican Museums
. The archive of his work at the Gehenna Press was acquired by the Bodleian Library
at Oxford, England, in 2009.
In 1955 he was one of eleven New York artists featured in the opening exhibition at the Terrain Gallery
. In 1966 he was featured in the documentary, "Images of Leonard Baskin" by American filmmaker Warren Forma
.
Leonard Baskin was a first cousin of American modern dancer and choreographer, Sophie Maslow
. He died on June 3, 2000 at the age of 77. The Art Institute of Portland
has a memorial to him.
Life and work
While he was a student at Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, he founded Gehenna Press, a small private press specializing in fine book production.
From 1953 until 1974, he taught printmaking and sculpture at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
. Subsequently Baskin also taught at Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
in Amherst, Massachusetts.
He lived most of his life in the U.S., but spent nine years in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
at Lurley Manor, Lurley, near Tiverton, close to his friend Ted Hughes
Ted Hughes
Edward James Hughes OM , more commonly known as Ted Hughes, was an English poet and children's writer. Critics routinely rank him as one of the best poets of his generation. Hughes was British Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.Hughes was married to American poet Sylvia Plath, from 1956 until...
, for whom he illustrated Crow
Crow (poetry)
Crow: From the Life and Songs of the Crow is a literary work by Ted Hughes and one of Hughes' most important works.It is a collection of poems based around the character Crow, which borrow extensively from many world mythologies, notably Christian mythology...
. Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College, Cambridge before receiving acclaim as a professional poet and writer...
dedicated "Sculptor" to Leonard Baskin. It was the penultimate poem in The Colossus (1960).
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The memorial's design concept of four outdoor "rooms" and gardens is animated by water, stone, and sculpture.The 1974 design competition was won by Lawrence Halprin; but for more than 20 years Congress failed to appropriate the funds to move beyond this conceptual stage...
and a bronze statue of a seated figure, erected in 1994 for the Holocaust Memorial in Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
.
His works are owned by many major museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, the Boca Raton Museum of Art
Boca Raton Museum of Art
The Boca Raton Museum of Art is located at 501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, Florida in Mizner Park. It houses works of art by a number of the great masters.-About:...
, the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, the Honolulu Academy of Arts
Honolulu Academy of Arts
The Honolulu Academy of Arts is an art museum in Honolulu in the state of Hawaii. Since its founding in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke and opening April 8, 1927, its collections have grown to over 40,000 works of art.-Description:...
and the Vatican Museums
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums , in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are among the greatest museums in the world, since they display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries, including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and...
. The archive of his work at the Gehenna Press was acquired by the Bodleian Library
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library , the main research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in Britain is second in size only to the British Library...
at Oxford, England, in 2009.
In 1955 he was one of eleven New York artists featured in the opening exhibition at the Terrain Gallery
Terrain Gallery
The Terrain Gallery, or the Terrain, is an art gallery and educational center in SoHo, New York City. It was founded in 1955 with a philosophic basis: the ideas of Aesthetic Realism and the Siegel Theory of Opposites, developed by American poet and educator Eli Siegel...
. In 1966 he was featured in the documentary, "Images of Leonard Baskin" by American filmmaker Warren Forma
Warren Forma
Warren Forma is an American filmmaker and author, best known for his "Artists at Work" documentary film series and book on European and American painters and sculptors in the 1960s and 1970s, his 1973 novel The Falling Man, which contrasts the violence of 1920's Ireland and 1940's Harlem, New...
.
Leonard Baskin was a first cousin of American modern dancer and choreographer, Sophie Maslow
Sophie Maslow
Sophie Maslow was an American choreographer, modern dancer and teacher, and founding member of New Dance Group. She was a first cousin of the American sculptor Leonard Baskin....
. He died on June 3, 2000 at the age of 77. The Art Institute of Portland
Art Institute of Portland
The Art Institute of Portland is a college in Portland, Oregon, United States that grants bachelor and associate degrees in advertising, apparel accessory design, apparel design, design management, design studies, digital film and video, game art and design, graphic design, industrial design,...
has a memorial to him.
Awards and honors
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
(1966) - Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
- Gold Medal of The American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Special Medal of Merit of the American Institute of Graphic ArtsAiga‘Aiga is a word in the Samoan language which means 'family.' The aiga is the family unit of Samoan society and differs from the Western sense in that it consists more than just a mother, father and children. The Samoan family, also referred to as an 'extended family' is based on the culture's...
- Gold Medal of the National Academy of DesignNational Academy of DesignThe National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
External links
- Official website of Leonard Baskin & The Gehenna Press
- Galerie St. Etienne - Official gallery representative of the Estate of Leonard Baskin
- Exhibition at the Smith College Museum of Art: Medea & Her Sisters: Leonard Baskin's Images of Women
- Leonard Baskin & The Gehenna Press, 1951-1971
- Leonard Baskin & The Gehenna Press
- R.Michelson Galleries
- Bio
- Collection of Leonard Baskin etchings at Annex Galleries