Albin Polasek (; February 14, 1879 – May 19, 1965) was a Austria-Hungarian–born American sculptor and educator. A practicing artist, he also headed the sculpture department at the

School of the Art Institute of Chicago The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a Private university, private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which gr ...

. He created more than four hundred works during his career, two hundred of which are displayed in the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park, Florida.

Career

Born as Albín Polášek on February 14, 1879, in Frenštát,

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

, part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(now in the Czech Republic), Polasek apprenticed as a wood carver in Vienna. At the age of 22, he emigrated to the United States and began formal art training at age 25 under Charles Grafly at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. As a student, he first produced ''Man Carving His Own Destiny'' (1907) and ''Eternal Moment'' (1909). In 1909, Polasek became an American citizen; in 1910, he won the Rome Prize competition; in 1913, he received honorable mention at the

Paris Salon The Salon (), or rarely Paris Salon (French: ''Salon de Paris'' ), beginning in 1667 was the official art exhibition of the in Paris. Between 1748 and 1890 it was arguably the greatest annual or biennial art event in the Western world. At the ...

for "The Sower;" in 1915, he took the Widener Gold Medal from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts for his sculpture "Aspiration." At age 37, after periods of residence in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, he was invited to head the sculpture department at the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, where he remained for nearly 30 years. While there he created the original '' Forest Idyll''; ''Victorious Christ'' and ''Virgin of the Corn'' for St. Cecelia's Cathedral in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, Nebraska; Kenilworth Memorial relief,

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Warwick (district), Warwick District of Warwickshire, England, southwest of Coventry and north of both Warwick and Leamington Spa. Situated at the centre of t ...

, Illinois; '' The Spirit of Music'' in Grant Park in Chicago; the '' Woodrow Wilson Memorial'' in Prague, Czech Republic; Governor Richard Yates sculpture, capital grounds, Springfield, Illinois; and many other works. Polasek was elected an associate member of the National Academy of Design in 1927, and full member in 1933. Albin Polasek was a close friend of fellow artist Louis Grell while he lived at Tree Studios in Chicago. The Grell Family archive collection contains letters by Grell discussing Polasek's move to Florida and becoming ill shortly after. In 1950, Polasek retired at age 70 to Winter Park, Florida. Within months, he suffered a stroke that left his left side paralyzed; he subsequently completed 18 major works with his right hand only, including ''Victory of Moral Law'', the artist's comment on the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Toward the end of 1950, at age 71, he married former student Ruth Sherwood, who died 22 months later in October 1952. In 1961, Polasek married Emily Muska Kubat. Upon his death in 1965, Polasek was buried beside his first wife in Winter Park's Palm Cemetery, where his ''12th Station of the Cross'' (1939) is his monument. Emily Muska Kubat Polasek died in 1988.

Works

Polasek's better-known works include the ''Theodore Thomas Memorial'' (1924), the 1941 memorial to

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Tomáš () is a Czech name, Czech and Slovak name, Slovak given name, equivalent to the name Thomas (name), Thomas. Tomáš is also a surname (feminine: Tomášová). Notable people with the name include: Given name Sport *Tomáš Berdych (born 198 ...

in Chicago,Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk Memorial. Chicago Public Art. http://chicagopublicart.blogspot.com/2013/09/tomas-garrigue-masaryk-memorial.html the ''Wilson Memorial'' (1928), '' Radegast'' (1929) and ''Sts. Cyril and Methodius'' (1929) in the Czech Republic. His ''Mother Crying Over the World'' (1942) was a response to World War II and his ''Victory of Moral Law'' (1956) to the Hungarian Revolution.

Cemetery monuments

Like many other sculptors of his era, Polasek created several cemetery memorials. Notable among these are ''The Pilgrim'' and ''The Mother'' (1927), both located in the Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago, and the ''Pilgrim at the Eternal Gate'' in

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

in Cleveland, Ohio. Pictures of all three are featured in both biographies listed in the sources section.

Images

File:Cyril Metodej.jpg, ''Sts. Cyril and Methodius'' File:Strůjce svého osudu.jpg, ''Man carving his own destiny'' File:Cb-sower2.jpg, ''The Sower'', 1911 File:Socha Radegasta.jpg, '' Radegast'' File:Masaryk EquChi1.jpg, ''

Tomáš Masaryk Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (7 March 185014 September 1937) was a Czechoslovaks, Czechoslovak statesman, political activist and philosopher who served as the first List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 191 ...

Memorial'', Chicago File:Capitol Richard Yates statue by Albin Polasek.jpg, Yates Memorial, Springfield, Illinois, 1923 File:Capitol Richard Yates statue detail by Albin Polasek.jpg, detail, Yates Memorial File:Gibault statue.jpg, Pierre Gibault, Vincennes, Indiana, 1934

Literature

* JAEGEROVÁ, Anna. ''Albín Polášek: Boundaries of Continents and Ages''. Brno, 2018
Available online
Bachelor's thesis. Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts. Thesis supervisor Pavel Suchánek.

References

*Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, ''Cemetery Sculpture in America'', unpublished manuscript *Polasek, ''Albin Polasek: Man Carving His Own Destiny,'' Albin Polasek Foundation 1970 *Sherwood, Ruth, ''Carving His Own Destiny: The Story of Albin Polasek,'' Ralph Fletcher Seymour, Publisher, Chicago 1954

External links

Polasek Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polasek, Albin 1879 births 1965 deaths People from Frenštát pod Radhoštěm Artists from the Margraviate of Moravia Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States American people of Czech descent American architectural sculptors American male sculptors Czech Roman Catholics Czech sculptors Czech male sculptors American modern sculptors Artists from Chicago People from Winter Park, Florida 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists National Sculpture Society members Sculptors from Illinois Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni National Academy of Design members