Brenda Putnam

American, 1890 - 1975

(not assigned)New York, New York, USA

SchoolFigural sculpture

BiographyBrenda Putnam (1890 - 1975) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on June 3rd 1890. Her father, Herbert Putnam, was the Liberian at the library of Congress in Washington DC She first studied sculpture at the age of 15 at the Boston Museum Art School from 1905 - 1907. She studied sculpture under James Earl Fraser for a year and then enrolled in The Art Student's League in New York City and at the Corcoran Art School in Washington DC Here first exhibit was in 1911. In the years following the first world war she was commissioned to do several fountains, sundials and other garden accouterments She won the Barnett Prize at the National Academe of Design in 1922 and the Wildner Gold Medal at the Pennsylvania Academe in 1923. Up until 1927 her work comprised mostly of children, cherubs, and garden ornaments when she traveled to Florence Italy to study. Returning to New York she continued sculpting and in 1935 she was award the Waterus Gold Medal at the National Academe of Design. She was awarded many monumental commissions in here career including, A Memorial to the women of Virginia in Lynchburg, Va. The Congressional Gold medal awarded to Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King. The bas reliefs over the visitors gallery in the US House of Representatives Her last sculpture was a bust of Susan B. Anthony done for New York University in 1952. Brenda Putnam was a member of the National Academe of Design, a fellow of the National Sculpture society, and the author of the book The Sculptor's way. (Source: The Bronze Gallery website, Accessed August 4, 2004, )

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