Biography
|
|
|
|
Felix de Weldon
1907 - 2003 |
|
Felix de Weldon is internationally
recognized as the foremost American sculptor
of the 20th century. Most famous for his
towering sculpture of the Marine Corps War
Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, he is
renowned for his bronze sculptures of
statesman and heroes, thirty-two of which
grace parks and government buildings in
Washington DC. With over twelve hundred
public memorials worldwide, Felix de Weldon
devoted his life's work to immortalizing
those who have left an indelible influence
on humanity.
Felix de Weldon was born in the beautiful
city of Vienna, Austria on April 12, 1907,
the son of a wealthy textile manufacturer.
Like all Viennese families before World War
I, the de Weldon family was dominated by a
love of music. In and around Vienna were the
homes of Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss,
Schubert and Brahms.He was only 6 years old when he entered St. Egidius
School and had his first formal lesson in
art. Here, his talent was immediately
recognized as genius and the school staff
was soon taking him to museums to copy the
old masters.
|
| |
Soon after reaching
his tenth birthday Felix entered Marchetti
College, a preparatory school where he
studied art, history, languages, anatomy and
engineering. At age 17, he won his first
national sculpture contest in Austria and
began exhibiting his work at the Paris Salon
in Vienna, and quickly achieved
international recognition. In 1925, he
graduated from Marchetti College with a
Bachelor of Arts degree at age 18.
Continuing his academic education and
pursuing his study of sculpture and
painting, he then entered the University of
Vienna's Academy of Creative Arts and School
of Architecture and received Master of Arts
and Master of Science degrees in 1927 and a
Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1929 at age
22.
Felix de Weldon then set out on two years of
travel to broaden his knowledge of the
ancient and modern arts. He traveled to
Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Greece,
Egypt, Palestine and Syria studying such
masters as Michelangelo, Raphael, da Vinci
and Goya. From 1933 to 1937 he established a
residence in London, where he maintained a
studio.
In 1935, Dr. de Weldon was commissioned to
create the bust of King George V to
commemorate the 25th year of his reign. The
bronze was originally displayed in
Buckingham Palace and later in the National
Portrait Gallery in London. No other artist
has ever had his or her work displayed there
while still alive.
In 1936, Felix de Weldon was commissioned to
create the coronation bust of King Edward
VIII. Upon King Edward's abdication he was
commissioned to create the coronation bust
of King George VI. This same year the artist
had his works exhibited at London's Royal
Academy.
In 1937, he was commissioned to create the
bust of Princess Alexandra, daughter of King
Alexander of Greece, who later became Queen
Alexandra of Yugoslavia.Felix de Weldon’s work was so well known
throughout the British Commonwealth that he
was invited to travel to Ottawa, Canada to
create the bust of then Prime Minister
Mackenzie King, who served three times as
Prime Minister from 1921 to 1948. Leaving
Canada he toured the United States traveling
from Canada down the West Coast and from the
south to New York. He was so captivated with
the friendliness of the American people and
their culture that he decided to make the
United States his home.
In 1938, Dr. de Weldon moved from London to
the United States becoming a United States
Citizen in 1945. During World War II, he
entered the Navy and served as the artist
for Naval Aviation. Stationed at the
Patuxent Naval Air Station in Maryland,
Petty Officer de Weldon was working on his
painting of the Battle of the Coral Sea,
when he was inspired by Joseph Rosenthal's
action photograph of the six American
soldiers raising the flag on Mount Suribachi,
Iwo Jima. The artist concocted a mixture of
floor and ceiling wax, and working nonstop
for three days and nights, created a
three-foot model of the event. The work so
impressed his commanding officer and
government officials that the artist was
asked to create a nine-foot version of his
statue in plaster, which subsequently toured
the country during the war bond effort.
Shortly thereafter, military and government
officials prompted a joint resolution of
Congress, commissioning Felix de Weldon to
create what would become his life's
masterpiece, the forty-eight foot high
monument of The Flag Raising On Iwo Jima.
The monument took nine years to complete and
was dedicated on November 10th, 1954, in
Arlington, Virginia as The Marine Corps War
Memorial.
In 1950, President Truman appointed Felix de
Weldon to the United States Fine Arts
Commission. In 1956, he was re-appointed by
President Eisenhower, and again in 1961 by
President Kennedy. In 1959, he was knighted
for his service to the British Crown
becoming "Sir Felix de Weldon.”
Felix de Weldon is renowned for his
sculptures of heroes, statesmen, and
political and religious leaders, which
include the following:
- The marble busts of Sir William Blackstone, Professor George Wythe, and
Chief Justice John Marshall at the College
of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
- The bronze bust of President George
Washington at the U.S. Embassy in Canberra,
Australia
- The bronze busts of Presidents Harry S.
Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower in
Washington, DC
- The bronze bust of President John F.
Kennedy at the JFK Library in Boston, MA
- The equestrian statue of South American
Liberator Simon Bolivar in Washington, DC
- The American Red Cross Memorial in
Washington, DC
- The Seabees Monument and the National
Guard Monument in Washington, DC.
- The Civil War Monument in Fredericksburg,
Virginia
- The Statue of Benjamin Franklin in
Louisville, Kentucky
- The Belleau Wood Monument - World War I
Memorial at Belleau Wood, France
- The Admiral Richard E. Byrd statues at
McMurdo Sound, Antarctica and Washington, DC
- The Risen Christ statue at the Catholic
Church of Santa Susanna in Rome, Italy
- The Malaysian National Monument in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.
In response to the horrific events of
September 11, 2001, Felix de Weldon
authorized a special edition of his
sculpture The Flag Raising On Iwo Jima, our
nation's greatest memorial to heroism and
freedom. The United We Stand edition
commemorates the deaths of all those who
perished in this unconscionable attack on
the United States and symbolizes the unified
response of the American people to stand up
to, and confront terrorism. In Felix de
Weldon's own words, "this sculpture stands
as the American symbol of unity of action,
the will to sacrifice, and America's
relentless determination to defend freedom."
This would be Felix de Weldon's final gift
to the American people. Sadly, he passed
away on June 3rd, 2003, at the age of 96. He
was laid to rest in Arlington National
Cemetery.
|
|
