Frederic Littman (1907–1979) was a Hungarian-American sculptor, whose large sculpted public artwork, frequent collaborations with architect

Pietro Belluschi Pietro Belluschi (August 18, 1899 – February 14, 1994) was an Italian-American architect. A leading figure in modern architecture, he was responsible for the design of over 1,000 buildings.Belluschi, Pietro. (2007). In ''Encyclopædia Britanni ...

, and four decades of teaching "left a towering artistic legacy in Oregon".

Life

Littman was born in Hidegszamos,

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 Gilău,

Cluj County Cluj County () is a county () of Romania, in Transylvania. Its seat is Cluj-Napoca. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian it is known as ''Kolozs megye''. Under the Kingdom of Hungary, a county with an identical name (Kolozs County, ) existed s ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

). He studied in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

and then at the

Académie Julian The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. By 1931 he'd shown at the Salon d'Automne and entered the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

; by 1934 he was a full professor and had worked under Charles Malfray at the

Académie Ranson The Académie Ranson was a private art school founded in 1908 in Paris by the French painter Paul Ranson (1862–1909). History The Académie Ranson was founded in 1908 by Paul Ranson (1862–1909), who himself studied at the Académie Jul ...

, where he met his wife, Austrian-born fellow sculptor Marianne Gold (1907–1999). As Jews, Littman and his wife fled Europe and came to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1940. After a brief stint at

Antioch College Antioch College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection and began operating in 1852 as a non-secta ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, they came to

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, where Littman was artist-in-residence until 1945. After a collegial divorce, Marianne Gold Littman continued at Reed until the 1950s. They remained lifelong friends. Littman became instructor of sculpture at the Museum Art School of the

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum (PAM) is an art museum in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The Portland Art Museum has 240,000 square feet (22,000 m2), with more than 112,000 square feet (10,400 m2) of gallery space. The museum’s permanent c ...

, now the independent

Pacific Northwest College of Art The Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is an art school of Willamette University and is located in Portland, Oregon. Established in 1909, the art school grants Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and graduate degrees including the Master of Fine ...

. He taught there until being named associate professor at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

until his retirement in 1973. Among his students was

Manuel Izquierdo Manuel Izquierdo (September 26, 1925 – July 17, 2009) was a sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dim ...

Work

Littman's work includes: * eight marble vignettes on Oregon's industries, First National Bank Building, Salem, Oregon, with architect Belluschi, 1947 (razed 2017) * sculpted copper low-relief doors, Zion Lutheran Church, Portland, with Belluschi, 1950 *

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

, marble sculpture on the facade of the Marion County Courthouse, Salem, Oregon, with Belluschi, dedicated 1954 * freestanding bronze Pioneer Woman, Council Crest Park, Portland, 1956 * ''Sedes Sapientiae'' (Seat of Wisdom), lead affixed relief, Clark Memorial Library,

University of Portland The University of Portland (UP) is a private Catholic university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1901 and is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also founded UP's sister school, the University of Notre Da ...

, 1958 * interior work ('' bimah'', rose window, and bronze ark doors depicting the Biblical account of the burning bush), Temple Beth Israel, Portland, 1960 * '' Farewell to Orpheus'', bronze fountain sculpture on the campus of

, 1968

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Littman, Frederic 1907 births 1979 deaths People from Cluj County American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Académie Julian alumni Jewish American sculptors Portland State University faculty Reed College faculty Pacific Northwest College of Art faculty Sculptors from Oregon 20th-century American Jews Hungarian emigrants to the United States