Lot 150
  • 150

Gutzon Borglum

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description

  • Gutzon Borglum
  • Bust of Abraham Lincoln
  • inscribed BORGLUM Sc ©, on the side; stamped BEDI-RA..  and numbered 6 on the back
  • bronze, reddish patina, on a black marble base
  • Height: 18 1/2 in.
  • 47 cm.

Provenance

Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Henry Meyer, Birmingham, Michigan

Condition

In good condition. A few minor nicks and scratches. Biography of artist: Born in Bear Lake, Idaho in a log house, Gutzon Borglum is best known as the large-scale portrait sculptor of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The sculpture, which depicts the heads of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, is massive. For example, the nose of President Washington is 20 feet long, and the overall height of the figures is about 60 feet. The Mount Rushmore Project on which he worked from 1927 to 1941, cost the United States Government $989,000.00 and was called "sculpture with dynamite" (Samuels 58) because he blasted stone within inches of the final carving. In 1902, Borglum opened a studio in New York City, and one of his first completed projects was his white stone bust of Abraham Lincoln that was placed in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. He was one of the founders of the American Association of Painters and Sculptors that organized the 1913 Armory Show. (Source: AskArt.com)
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

Biography of artist:

Born in Bear Lake, Idaho in a log house, Gutzon Borglum is best known as the large-scale portrait sculptor of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.  The sculpture, which depicts the heads of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, is massive.  For example, the nose of President Washington is 20 feet long, and the overall height of the figures is about 60 feet.  The Mount Rushmore Project on which he worked from 1927 to 1941, cost the United States Government $989,000.00 and was called "sculpture with dynamite" (Samuels 58) because he blasted stone within inches of the final carving. In 1902, Borglum opened a studio in New York City, and one of his first completed projects was his white stone bust of Abraham Lincoln that was placed in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol.  He was one of the founders of the American Association of Painters and Sculptors that organized the 1913 Armory Show.

(Source: AskArt.com)