Paul Manship (American, 1885-1966)

Sculptor Paul Manship’s (1885-1966) stylized figurative forms, often cast in bronze, exemplify the streamlined chic of Art Deco sculpture. Between 1892 and 1906, Manship studied at the St. Paul Institute of Art, the Arts Students League of New York and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. In 1909 he won the Prix de Rome, attending the American Academy in Rome through 1912. Touring the Mediterranean, he took an interest in the abstract impulses that characterized Greek, Egyptian and Etruscan art, eventually modernizing these styles in his own modern forms. Upon return to the United States, he established a popular practice in New York where he received numerous commissions for prominent public sculptures including Prometheus (1933-8) at the heart of Rockefeller Plaza. Examples of his work are represented in many major museums.

photo: Archives of American Art – Paul Manship – 1941 by unidentified photographer