Robert Merrell Gage
Robert Merrell Gage | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 26, 1892 |
| Died | October 30, 1981 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Merrell Gage |
| Education | Washburn University |
| Occupation | sculptor |
| Known for | professor and head of sculpture at USC |
| Notable work | statue of Abraham Lincoln on the grounds of the Kansas State Capitol |
| Spouse | Marian Gage |
| Awards | Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film, The Face of Lincoln (1955) |
Robert Merrell Gage (December 26, 1892 – October 30, 1981) was an American sculptor, frequently credited and better known as Merrell Gage.
Biography[edit]
Gage was born in Topeka, Kansas and studied in the Topeka public schools and at Washburn University. He worked on ranches in the Midwest before settling on an art career.[1] He studied art in New York and France and worked in the studio of Gutzon Borglum as an assistant. In 1916, he set up a sculpture studio in a barn behind his house in Topeka. His first public commission was for a statue of Abraham Lincoln that is now on the grounds of the Kansas State Capitol.
He married Marian Gage, a painter, shortly after World War I when he was in the medical corps and lived in Kansas City.[2] He began teaching sculpture at Washburn and at the Kansas City Art Institute.[3] They moved to Los Angeles from New York in 1924 and built a studio in their home in the Santa Monica Canyon.[2] He was appointed professor of sculpture at the University of Southern California and rose to the head of the department. Gage's mother and sister lived in La Jolla, San Diego, California.[4] His work was also part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics.[5]
Academy Award Winning Short Film[edit]
Gage executed likenesses of Lincoln in many stages of the president's life. In 1955 Gage starred in a short film The Face of Lincoln, in which he modeled Lincoln's features while narrating the story of his life.[6] The film, produced by Wilber T. Blume, won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.[7] Gage executed numerous commissions in the Los Angeles area and served on the sculpture commission for the 1936 Olympics.[4] His film The Face of Jesus was nominated for Academy Awards in 1962.
Works [citation needed][edit]
- seated Lincoln, Kansas State Capitol grounds, Topeka, Kansas (circa 1915)
- American Legion Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri (1921)
- Police Monument, Kansas City, Missouri ( 1921)
- Electric Fountain, Beverly Hills, California (1931)
- the Edison Building, Los Angeles, California, (1931)
- Facade of the Los Angeles Times Building, Los Angeles, California (1935)
- Pioneer Mother Memorial, Kansas State Capitol grounds, Topeka, Kansas (1937)
- Allan J. Hancock Foundation, University of Southern California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, (1940)
- Bust of Sherman Minton, Indiana Statehouse, Indianapolis, Indiana (1956)
- Bust of Abraham Lincoln, 110 Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, California (1961)
- many schools and churches
References[edit]
- ^ AskART page, undated, retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ a b Stewart. Virginia, (1957, September 8). "An ability for interpretation" The Los Angeles Times, p. M22. Retrieved June 23, 2008
- ^ Biography Kansas State Historical Society "Robert Merrell Gage page" undated, retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ a b Kamerling, Bruce (Summer 1989). "Early Sculpture and Sculptors in San Diego". The Journal of San Diego History. 35 (3). Retrieved July 5, 2008.
- ^ "Robert Merrell Gage". Olympedia. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ Los Angeles County Arts Commission "Stanley Mosk Courthouse", undated, retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ Merrell Gage papers, 1911–1982 at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, retrieved on 2008-07-05.
External links[edit]
- Merrell Gage papers, 1911–1982 at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art, retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- Biography Kansas State Historical Society "Robert Merrell Gage page" undated, retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- California Arts Club "13th CAC President" page, retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- Wilber T. Blume,
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