Adrien Alexandre Voisin (1890–1979), was an American sculptor. He is known for his bronze work and for being one of the lead architectural sculptors at

Hearst Castle Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada ( Spanish for "The Enchanted Hill"), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Conceived by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his arc ...

Early life and education

Adrien Alexandre Voisin was born in 1890 in the town of

Islip Islip may refer to: Places England * Islip, Northamptonshire *Islip, Oxfordshire * Islip Manor Meadows United States *Islip, New York, a town in Suffolk County ** Islip (hamlet), New York, located in the above town **Central Islip, New York ...

in Suffolk County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, to parents from France. He was raised in Newport,

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

. Voisin first learned the art of

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proces ...

and apprenticed as a

woodcarver Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...

. In his early career he studied art under Elijah Baxter Jr. and William Sergeant Kendall at the Yale School of Fine Arts (now Yale School of Art). He continued his art studies in France at the

Beaux-Arts de Paris The (), formally the (), is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level fine arts education and training. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is located on two sites: Saint-G ...

; the

École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs The École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (; ÉnsAD) also known as Arts Decos' and École des Arts décoratifs, is a public grande école of art and design, constituent member of PSL Research University. The school is located in the R ...

; and at

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

. He also worked under

Jean Antoine Injalbert Jean-Antoine Injalbert (; 3 February 1845 – 20 January 1933) was a French sculptor. Life The son of a stonemason, Injalbert was a pupil of Augustin-Alexandre Dumont and won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1874. At the Exposition Universelle ( ...

and

Antonin Mercié Marius Jean Antonin Mercié (October 30, 1845 in Toulouse – December 12, 1916 in Paris), was a French Sculpture, sculptor, Medalist, medallist and Painting, painter. Biography Mercié entered the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, ...

in France. While studying at Beaux-Arts de Paris, Voisin was using the an art bronze foundry, when he met the sculptor

Alexander Calder Alexander "Sandy" Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobile (sculpture), mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, hi ...

, who was a few years older. Calder strongly disliked Voisin's work which he wrote about in his journal. While in France during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he served first in the American Volunteer Motor Ambulance Corps; and later served in the 49th Infantry Regiment in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. After the war he moved to California "for his health", as he had been exposed to

mustard gas Mustard gas or sulfur mustard are names commonly used for the organosulfur compound, organosulfur chemical compound bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, which has the chemical structure S(CH2CH2Cl)2, as well as other Chemical species, species. In the wi ...

Career

While living in southern California around 1919, he fulfilled multiple architectural commissions for sculptural works, including work on Hearst Castle. In 1927, he did architectural commission work for the Oriental Theatre in Portland, Oregon for an interior sculpture similar to a Khmer sculpture at

Angkor Wat Angkor Wat (; , "City/Capital of Wat, Temples") is a Buddhism and Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. Located on a site measuring within the ancient Khmer Empire, Khmer capital city of Angkor, it was originally constructed ...

. In 1929, he moved to Montana, to "live among the Indians" with the

Blackfeet The Blackfeet Nation (, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Montana. Tribal members primarily belong ...

tribe. While living in Montana he completed bust sculptures of John Two Guns White Calf, Chief Bad Roads, and Mountain Chief (Ninastuko). One of his pupils was Blackfeet artist Albert Racine. Voisin returned to Paris in 1930 to exhibit his Native American bronze cast sculptures, which won him awards. A year later in 1931, he moved to Oregon. In 1933, Voisin moved to San Francisco, where he purchased the Albion Castle, formally the home of the Albion Ale And Porter Brewing Company and a natural occurring mineral water spring. Over the span of almost 20 years he worked to restore the Norman-style stone building, using the aid of old photographs. In 1964, the property was purchased by the San Francisco Mountain Springs Water Company in order to use the springs. Voisin was allowed to remain living on the property beyond that date as a clause of the sale. In 1971, the

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

received 53 sculptures for their Pacific Northwest Indian Center (now known as the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture). At the time of the donation, the center had planned an entire Voisin Gallery wing dedicated to his work.

Death and legacy

Voisin died on May 8, 1979, in Palos Verdes Estates,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He was preceded in death by his wife Frances Maude Voisin (née Vahuy) in 1965, and they are both buried in

Golden Gate National Cemetery Golden Gate National Cemetery is a United States national cemetery in California, located in the city of San Bruno, California, San Bruno, south of San Francisco. Because of the name and location, it is frequently confused with San Francisco ...

. Voisin's work was part of the ''Bill and Dorothy Harmsen Art Collection'' at the

Denver Art Museum The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado. With an encyclopedic collection of more than 70,000 diverse works from across the centuries and world, the DAM is one of the largest art museums betwe ...

, however in December 2004 the work was donated to the

Colorado Community College System The Colorado Community College System is a public community college system in the U.S. state of Colorado. Created by legislation in 1967, it has 13 member institutions and serves more than 163,000 students annually. History The 1937 Junior Col ...

. Voisin created notable portrait busts, included busts of Benjamin Franklin Irvine (1935), editor of

The Oregon Journal ''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portla ...

; John Two Guns White Calf, a

Piegan Blackfeet The Piegan (Blackfeet language, Blackfeet: ''Piikáni'') are an Algonquian languages, Algonquian-speaking people from the Plains Indians, North American Great Plains. They are the largest of three Blackfeet-speaking groups that make up the Bla ...

chief; and

Vachel Lindsay Nicholas Vachel Lindsay (; November 10, 1879 – December 5, 1931) was an American poet. He is considered a founder of modern ''singing poetry,'' as he referred to it, in which verses are meant to be sung or chanted. Early years Lindsay was born ...

, poet. He created public memorials including the Father McQuade Memorial and Fairfax Whelan Memorial Fountain.

References

External links

* Photographs of Voisin can be found from th
Indians of North America
file,

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the State of Oregon, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, pres ...

John Canfield Ewers Papers, 1945-1993
box 9 includes his work, from Smithsonian Online Virtual Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Voisin, Adrien 1890 births 1979 deaths American architectural sculptors 20th-century American sculptors Yale School of Art alumni École des Beaux-Arts alumni École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs alumni Académie Colarossi alumni United States Army personnel of World War I People from Islip (town), New York Artists from Newport, Rhode Island Artists from San Francisco American portrait artists Bayview–Hunters Point, San Francisco

Early life and education

Career

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links