John A. Wilson (sculptor)
John Albert Wilson (1877 – December 8, 1954) was a Canadian sculptor who produced public art for commissions throughout North America. He was a professor in the School of Architecture at Harvard University for 32 years. He is most famous for his American Civil War Monuments: the statue on the Confederate Student Memorial (Silent Sam) on the campus of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the Washington Grays Monument (Pennsylvania Volunteer) in Philadelphia.
John Albert Wilson | |
|---|---|
John A. Wilson sculpting Washington Grays Monument (1907) | |
| Born | 1877 New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | December 8, 1954 (aged 77) New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Known for | Sculptor |
| Notable work | Silent Sam, Daniel A. Bean, Washington Grays Monument |
| Movement | American Renaissance |
| Awards | Kimball Prize |
Renowned sculptor and art historian Lorado Taft wrote of the latter work, "No American sculpture, however, has surpassed the compelling power which John A. Wilson put into his steady, motionless 'Pennsylvania Volunteer'." Wilson created his studio (the "Waban Studio") at Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Walter Gropius, known as a pioneering master of modern architecture, said the studio "is the most beautiful in the world."