Robert Berks
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Robert Berks | |
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| Born | Robert S. Berks April 26, 1922 |
| Died | May 16, 2011(aged 89) New York City, US |
| Occupation | sculptor |
| Known for | John Fitzgerald Kennedy bust |
| Spouse | Dorothy "Tod" Berks |
| Children | 3 |
Robert Berks(April 26, 1922 – May 16, 2011) was an Americansculptor,industrial designer and planner. He created hundreds of bronze sculptures and monuments including theMary McLeod Bethune Memorial,and theAlbert Einstein MemorialinWashington, D.C.Bob was prolific and created numerous sketches, drawings, and paintings; often in service of sculpture and site-planning subjects. He worked for over 50 years in a converted schoolhouse on the north fork of Long Island, NY. For projects with living subjects, Bob would often invite individuals to visit with he and Tod for a period of a week or two so he could observe them in real life; through this time he captured emotions, tendencies, facial expressions, and body language. It was this commitment to understanding his subject below the surface that facilitated the intimacy and personality found in his sculptural portraits. Bob's work is spread around the world, but he is best known for his commissions in Washington DC. Bob is one of the only artists in the world to have multiple pieces regularly on display in the Oval office. Depending on the desires of the sitting US President, Berks' busts of famed civil servants and civil rights leaders line the walls of the Oval (Eight (8) original works are owned by the National Gallery); most often on view are busts of FDR, Lincoln, RFK, Ronald Reagan, and JFK.
The large 8 foot bust of John F Kennedy in front of theKennedy Center,is most commonly recognized given the reach of televised programs including the annual Kennedy Center honors and The Mark Twain Prize. In the 1960's, Berks was named "The Capitol's Michelangelo" for his bronze monuments around the mall.
Life
[edit]He grew up in Hecht House,Boston.He studied at theBoston Museum.[1] In 1953, he married Dorothy “Tod” Berks.[2]
One of Berks's most famous works is a bust of former PresidentJohn Fitzgerald Kennedythat can be found in the Grand Foyer of TheJohn F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsinWashington, DC.[2]
A copy of hisBust of Abraham Lincolnwas displayed in theOval Officeduring theClinton Administration. Another of his statues, that of the Swedish botanist and physicianCarl Linnaeus,can be found in the Heritage Garden of the Chicago Botanic Garden inGlencoe, Illinois. In 2005, he donated a sculpture of Einstein toPrinceton University.[3] In 2007, he made a sculpture ofFred RogersforPittsburgh.[4]
He died on May 16, 2011, at the age of 89 fromnatural causes.[2]
Public monuments
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- Louis Dembitz BrandeisSculpture,Brandeis University,Waltham, Massachusetts,1956[5]
- Abraham LincolnBust, 1958
- Richard CaliguiriMemorial,Pittsburgh City-County BuildingPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Robert F. Kennedybust,Smithsonian Institution,1968[6][7]
- Robert F. Kennedy Memorial,Department of JusticeWashington, DC,1969
- John F. KennedyBust,Kennedy CenterWashington, DC,1971
- Mary McLeod BethuneMemorial, Lincoln Park,Washington, DC,1974
- Albert Einstein Memorial,National Academy of Sciences,Washington, DC,1979
- Carl LinnaeusMonument,Chicago Botanic Garden,Glencoe, Illinois,1983
- Reinhold NiebuhrMemorial,Elmhurst College,1997
- Albert Einstein statue,Borough Hall Walk,Princeton, NJ,2005
- Fred RogersMemorial,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,2009
- Albert Einstein Memorial,Georgia Institute of Technology,Atlanta, GA,2015
References
[edit]- ^Duncan, Erika (April 14, 1996)."ENCOUNTERS;A Sculptor Whose Model Is History".The New York Times.Retrieved28 October2014.
- ^abcKelly, Tim (May 17, 2011)."Bob Berks, Orient artist who sculpted images of presidents and popes, dies at 89".The Suffolk Times.RetrievedJuly 3,2011.
- ^Braun, Candace."Sculptor Donates Planned Einstein Bust to Princeton".Town Topics.Retrieved28 October2014.
- ^McNulty, Timothy (May 23, 2007)."A statue of Mister Rogers will adorn the North Shore".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Retrieved28 October2014.
- ^"Memorial to Brandeis: 9-Foot Statue of Justice to Be Unveiled Nov. 13".The New York Times.April 15, 1956. p. 39.ProQuest113897312.
- ^Wick, Steve (January 26, 2021)."Late Orient sculptor's work on display in the Oval Office".The Suffolk Times.RetrievedJanuary 25,2023.
- ^Cascone, Sarah (January 21, 2021)."We Decode the New Art Biden Just Installed in the Oval Office, From a Bust of Cesar Chavez to a Calming Childe Hassam Painting".Artnet News.RetrievedJanuary 25,2023.
Sources
[edit]- James M. Goode:Outdoor Sculpture of Washington D.C.Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979,ISBN0-87474-138-6
External links
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- Photos of Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial
- Photos of Albert Einstein Memorial
- Biographies in bronze - Robert Berks Studios
- Robert Berks: Albert Einstein
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