A New American Sculpture, 1914-1945: Lachaise, Laurent, Nadelman, and Zorach

In the first half of the 20th century, European-born artists Gaston Lachaise, Robert Laurent, Elie Nadelman, and William Zorach became preeminent figures of American sculpture. Inspired by the advent of modernism to explore fresh creative modes and motivated by the desire to assimilate into American culture, the four sculptors—who had immigrated at various points prior to World War I—recognized the potential for innovation in the relatively young country. Known to each other, but working independently, they developed a new American sculpture by fusing ideas of modernism and classicism along with pop and vernacular culture. They transformed figurative art and created bodies of work that feel refreshingly bold and energetic to this day. A New American Sculpture 1914-1945: Lachaise, Laurent, Nadelman, and Zorach brings the four sculptors together for the first time, allowing audiences to experience the awakening of a new era of American expression.

This catalogue for the exhibition of the same name presents these four artists in conjunction. The exhibition is on view at the Portland Museum of Art May 26—September 8, 2017.

Edited by Andrew J. Eschelbacher, Susan Donnell and Harry W. Konkel Associate Curator of European Art at the PMA

Essays by Eschelbacher, Michaela R. Haffner, Ronald Harvey, Shirley Reece-Hughes, and Roberta K. Tarbell

Paperback. 82 full color plates. 185 pages.