MILTON HORN (1906 –1995) BRONZE SCULPTURE, "young boy with ffsh", circa 1945/50,signed on the base, very nice brown patina.
H 29 CM
Milton Horn
Milton Horn was born in Russia in 1906, came to United States
in 1913, and began to study art in 1918. He did not graduate high
school,
but took miscellaneous art classes and soon worked in the Boston
studio of H.H.Kitson. His father, Pinchas, was evidently active in
traditional Jewish life and worked as a photographer. (his shot of
Zorach’s “Dancer” is often reproduced). He began to build a career in
architectural sculpture in the New York area, and worked cataloging
Egyptian antiquities at the Brooklyn museum, developing contacts within
the antiquities market that would help him build his own, extensive
collection of ancient, Medieval, and Asian sculpture. (note: this
collection was gradually sold off to support him in his old age – but it
had to be seen to be believed, and he considered it the store of
knowledge from which he learned) He was active in the Sculptor’s Guild
and shared the enthusiasm in that period for direct carving and the
control of form by planes. In 1939 he began his teaching career at
Olivet College , a small, ‘great books’, liberal arts school in
Michigan. In 1949 he quit teaching, moved to Chicago, and began to
develop his Judaic themes – beginning with his ‘Job’ which was
exhibited in the 1951 national sculpture exhibit held by the
Metropolitan museum. Throughout his career, he collaborated with
Estelle Oxenhorn, his wife, muse, critic, business manager, and
incredible photographer. (all of the pictures – that is, all of the
good pictures - are her work ) He innovated with the first (and
probably the last) figurative representions of the divine in Jewish
temples. (at least they were the first since the Romans sacked the
second temple in Jerusalem and carried off the cherubim over the ark)He
also completed several monumental relief sculptures for the City of
Chicago, and the University of West Virginia. His career ended in 1975
with the death of Estelle – and he would not complete another project
other than the erotic “God and Israel” that was dedicated to her memory.
He died in 1995.
(note: a thorough and informative catalog of his life and work is
available from the Spertus College of Judaica, 618 S. Michigan Ave,
Chicago 60605)
https://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/milton-horn-papers-7803
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Horn
https://artuk.org/discover/artists/horn-milton-19061995
https://publicartarchive.org/artist/Milton%20Horn
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/milton-horn-2303