John S. Conway (artist)

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John S. Conway
John Severinus Conway
(Robert Vonnoh, 1883)
Born(1852-02-21)February 21, 1852
DiedDecember 25, 1925(1925-12-25) (aged 73)
OccupationAmerican artist
Known forThe Victorious Charge
The Victorious Charge (1898)

John S. Conway, an artist and sculptor, was born February 21, 1852, in Dayton, Ohio. His middle name is listed differently in different sources as Severinus, Severine and Severino. He received his artistic training at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Ecole Julien, and at the École des Beaux-Arts. Conway also lived in Milwaukee, Italy, and New Jersey.

While Conway was in Paris, Robert William Vonnoh, a fellow art student, painted his portrait.[1]

While in Italy Conway married Agata Meloni. They had four children: George (1885–1967), Etheldreda (1887–1900), Mario (1889–1962), and Robert (1899–1972).[2]

Conway most famous work is the Milwaukee Soldiers Monument. The bronze sculpture titled The Victorious Charge was completed in Rome and shipped to Milwaukee. It stands in the median island on Wisconsin Ave between 8th and 10th Sts.[3][4]

Conway returned to the United States in 1902. In 1904, he completed "Oklahoma," another large sculpture, for the St. Louis Exposition.[5] Some of his other works appear in museums,[6] archives and special collections,[7] or occasionally come up for auction.[8] Conway died December 25, 1925, at the age of 73 in his home in Tenafly, New Jersey.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Portrait of John Severinus Conway". Archived from the original on November 3, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  2. ^ "Archival Resources in Wisconsin: Descriptive Finding Aids". digital.library.wisc.edu. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  3. ^ "Remember When...the Soldiers' monument was in Grand Avenue Park? :: Remember When". content.mpl.org. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  4. ^ "Soldiers' Monument, Grand Avenue, Milwaukee, Wis. :: Greetings from Milwaukee". collections.lib.uwm.edu. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Kurtz, C.M. (1903). The Saint Louis World's Fair of 1904: In Commemoration of the Acquisition of the Louisiana Territory; a Handbook of General Information, Profusely Illustrated. Gottschalk printing Company. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  6. ^ "xy | Spencer Museum of Art". spencerart.ku.edu. Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  7. ^ Michelle Kloss. "Peabody Art Collection – John Severinus Conway, Charles Dickens". msa.md.gov. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  8. ^ "JOHN SEVERINUS CONWAY (1852–1925) | Christie's". christies.com. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  9. ^ "John Severinus Conway; Painter and Sculptor Dies at the Age of 73 in Tenafly, N. J., The New York Times, December 25, 1925. Retrieved November 20, 2017. "John Severinus Conway, painter and sculptor, who designed the statue of Oklahoma for the St. Louis Exposition and had exhibited his paintings in Rome and this city, died yesterday at his home in Tenafly, N. J."

Biographical information can also be found in this newspaper article: "To Wisconsin's Soldier Sons", Evening Wisconsin, June 28, 1989, and "Who Was Who in American Art: Compiled from the Original Thirty-Four Volumes of American Art Annual—Who's Who in Art, Biographies of American Artists Active from 1898 to 1947" by Peter H. Falk (pub. Madison, Conn: Sound View Press, 1985).