b. 1848 d. 1907
Site Affiliation: Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Augustus Saint-Gaudens was an internationally renowned sculptor, teacher, and leader in American art and culture. His works include intimate bas-relief portraits, heroic monuments, and coinage coveted still today. Born in Ireland, the Saint-Gaudens family immigrated to New York City when Augustus was six months old. At age 13, he began apprenticing in the detailed art of cameo cutting and eventually became one of the first Americans to study sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Infused with both realism and idealism, Saint-Gaudens’ public monuments had a dynamic quality not seen before in American sculpture. As the country grappled to define citizenship after the Civil War, this influential sculptor played an outsized role in public understandings of an American identity. Notable works by Augustus Saint-Gaudens include the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Massachusetts Regiment Memorial in Boston, Standing Lincoln in Chicago, and General Sherman Monument in New York City.
Primary Medium: Sculpture
Primary Stylistic Term: Beaux-Arts, American Renaissance, Monuments & Memorials
HAHS Affiliations: Saint-Gaudens was also associated with Daniel Chester French, and corresponded with members of the Weir family.
Fun Fact: Augustus Saint-Gaudens was the first sculptor to fully design an American coin.
Recommended Publications: The Life and Works of Augustus Saint-Gaudens by Burke Wilkinson (1985); Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master Sculptor by Kathryn Greenthal (1985); Cultural Landscape Report for Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Volume 1, by Marion Pressley and Cynthia Zailzevsky (1993)