How the West Was Sculpted

A A A Comments By Jason Heller Thursday, Dec 31 2009

Like so many people who helped remake the American landscape and identity in the 1800s, Augustus Saint-Gaudens wasn't born in the United States. But the Irish immigrant was raised in New York, and his work — stately, noble sculpture that adorns everything from monuments to U.S. coins — crystallized a nation. And yet Saint-Gaudens is far from a household name, even if millions still marvel at his enduring work every year.

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To put him in the proper light, Saint-Gaudens and fellow American sculptors Paul Manship, Hermon Atkins MacNeil and Charles M. Russell are being honored during a Denver Art Museum symposium titled Shaping the West: American Sculptors in the 19th Century. A panel of speakers, including the St. Louis Art Museum's Andrew J. Walker, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Thayer Tolles, Stark Museum of Art's Sarah Boehme and the DAM's own Peter H. Hassrick will illuminate how these four sculptors, each in his own way, helped carve out the American West.

The symposium takes place today from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the lower level of the DAM's Hamilton Building, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway. Admission to the day-long event is $25 for students, $65 for DAM members and $75 for non-members. For registration and info, call 720-865-5000 or visit www.denverartmuseum.org.
Tue., Jan. 5, 8 a.m., 2010

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