Peter Ganine (October 11, 1900August 11, 1974) was a Georgian-Russian-American sculptor, best known for his work in ceramics and his chess sets.

Early life and education

Ganine was born in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

on October 11, 1900, and began his art studies there. He spent five years as a trader in the Belgian Congo, before coming to the U.S. in 1931, on a scholarship to the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art is a former art museum in Washington, D.C., that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Founded in 1869 by philanthropist William Wilson Corco ...

in Washington, D.C.

Career

Ganine settled in Hollywood in 1932, where he would remain for the rest of his life. He gained prominence in the local art scene, with his work regularly championed by longtime ''

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'' art editor and critic Arthur Millier. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he worked as an aircraft patternmaker. His artistic subjects were primarily animals and people, and he became especially known for his stylized animal figures. Many of his designs were patented and mass-produced in plastic, making his work widely accessible. Among his most popular creations were a toy whale, which was awarded a prize by the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, and an " uncapsizeable duck", of which more than 50 million were sold. Other patented works include various stylized animal figures: Ganine also designed a new form of chess set that gave human characteristics to the pieces. This was widely cited as the "first major change of design for chess sets in more than a century."

Personal life

Ganine married actress Marguerite Churchill on June 5, 1954. He later married a woman named Karin.

Works

* ''Superba Gothic'' chess set (c.1930s) * ''Colt'' sculpture (c.1939) * ''Baby Centaur'' sculpture (c.1940) – won first prize in ceramic sculpture at the National Ceramic Exhibition * ''Beer Mug'' sculpture (c.1941) * ''Rudolph'' sculpture of a

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(c.1941) * ''Bull'' sculpture (c.1941) * ''Dog'' sculpture (c.1944) * ''Why'' sculpture (c.1944) * ''Life Mask of Nicholai Fechin'' sculpture (1945) * ''Happy Womanhood'' sculpture (c.1947) – model:

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was an Irish-born naturalized American actress who became successful in Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural redhead who was known for playing passionate b ...

* ''Hosanna'' sculpture of choir boys (c.1948) * ''Classic'' chess set (1961) – the chess pieces from the Classic chess set were used in ''

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'' as part of the tri-dimensional chess set * ''Rearing Colt'' sculpture * ''Portrait of Marguerite Churchill'' sculpture

Exhibitions

* 1938 – Group show at the California Art Club * 1939 –

Golden Gate International Exposition The Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE) was a World's Fair held at Treasure Island in San Francisco, California, U.S. The exposition operated from February 18, 1939, through October 29, 1939, and from May 25, 1940, through September 29, ...

* 1939 – Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego * 1940 – National Ceramic Exhibition at Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts – won first prize for ''Baby Centaur'' * 1942 – "Artist of the Month" for January, solo show at the Los Angeles County Museum * 1944 – Society for Sanity in Art group show at Los Angeles County Museum * 1960 – Group show at W. & J. Sloane Petite Galerie, Beverly Hills

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganine, Peter 1900 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors Soviet expatriates in the Belgian Congo Soviet emigrants to the United States