Lorado Taft

American, 1860 - 1936

(not assigned)Chicago, Illinois

SchoolFigural Sculpture

BiographyBorn in central Illinois, he became a key late 19th, early 20th century sculptor who for many years was a teacher at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and played a key role in the art exhibitions of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. His work was realistic human figure expressing lofty idealism.

He was educated at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In Chicago in 1886, he set up a studio on State Street and began teaching sculpture at the School of the Art Institute. Dating from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, he was one of the most distinguished artists in Illinois.

The Armory Show of 1913, which brought modernist art to America with the introduction of cubism, futurism, etc. took him completely off guard. His style and ideals seemed to be completely rejected by the next generation. (Source: Askart.com, Accessed 2/9/2004)

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