74
results within
Person
Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein
American-British sculptor (1880–1959)
In 1956, the Blake Society for Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey commissioned Epstein to create a portrait of the English poet, artist, and mystic (1757–1827), who had died over one hundred years earlier. Working from portraits, sketches, and photogr…
In 1907–1908, Epstein made two busts of one of his favorite models, Euphemia Lamb. Her sensuous looks appealed to him, and he treated the bust with great delicacy. With its humble, downward gaze and smooth surface, the portrait resembles a Renaissance Mad…
Until his death during World War I, T. E. Hulme (1888–1917) was Epstein's confidant and defender. A poet and philosopher, Hulme greatly influenced avant-guard circles prior to the war. His theory of art and its relation to the human condition advocate…
Fleet Admiral under Churchill during World War I, Lord Fisher (1841–1920) was 75 when he sat for Epstein. The artist emphasizes Fisher's prominent temples, ruthless grim lips, leathery skin, heavy-lidded eyes and chest resplendent with medals, charact…
Gabrielle Soene was a Belgian who had posed for Modigliani. Epstein sculpted this elegant bust in 1920, matching the rhythmic lines in her hair with her dress. Her eyes are wide-open in a rigid stare.
In 1957, when the world-renowned conductor Otto Klemperer (1885–1973) came to London to perform with its new Philharmonic Orchestra, he sat for the delighted Epstein, an ardent concertgoer. Klemperer's high cheekbones and sharp profile impart a heroic…
Philosopher, essayist, logician, and Nobel laureate, Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) sat for Epstein in 1953. A pacifist, Russell fought the development of atomic weapons, losing his tenure at Cambridge until 1944. In Epstein's bust, Russell's angula…
Ralph Vaughn Williams (1872–1958) was the greatest English composer of his time. In 1949, when he was 77, he sat for Epstein. The sculpture became one of the artist's most sought-after bronzes, along with those of Churchill and Einstein. Vaughn Willia…
By 1910, after the premiere of his opera Macbeth, the Swiss Jewish composer Ernest Bloch (1880–1959) had achieved musical prominence. Epstein and Bloch enjoyed stormy conversations during the sittings for the bust, which conveys the composer's alertne…
In 1950, the Italian pianist Marcella Barzetti came to London to meet Epstein's wife Kathleen. The sculptor was so drawn to Barzetti's face that he insisted on modeling her immediately. Later, Epstein adapted his bust of Barzetti into "The Vi…
Epstein sculpted a sketch of Pandit Nehru (1889–1964) during his visit to England for the Commonwealth Conference of 1946. In 1949 the sculptor completed his bust of India's first prime minister. According to Epstein: "At this time, soon after th…