Robert Laurent was a French-American modernist figurative sculptor, printmaker and teacher. His work, the New York Times wrote,"figured in the development of an American sculptural art that balanced nature and abstraction." Widely exhibited, he took part in the Whitney's 1946 exhibition Pioneers of Modern Art. Credited as the first American sculptor to adopt a "direct carving" sculpting style that was bolder and more abstract than the then traditional fine arts practice, which relied on models, Laurent's approach was inspired by the African carving and European avant-garde art he admired, while also echoing folk styles found both in the U.S. and among medieval stone cutters of his native Brittany. Best known for his virtuoso mastery of the figure, Laurent sculpted in multiple media, including wood, alabaster, bronze, marble and aluminum. His expertise earned him major commissions for public sculpture, most famously for the Goose Girl for New York City's Radio City Music Hall, as well as for Spanning the Continent for Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. After the Depression, he was also the recipient of several Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project commissions under the New Deal, including a bas-relief called Shipping for the exterior of Washington, D.C.'s Federal Trade Commission Building, commissioned by the Treasury Department's Section of Fine Arts in 1938.
Source: Wikipedia
Exhibitions
8 exhibitionsDec 03, 1930 – Jan 20, 1931
Painting and Sculpture by Living Americans
37 artists · 2 curators
Oct 31, 1932 – Feb 11, 1933
American Painting and Sculpture, 18621932
77 artists · 1 curator
Mar 27, 1933 – May 03, 1933
Sculptors' Drawings
14 artists
Nov 19, 1934 – Jan 20, 1935
Modern Works of Art: 5th Anniversary Exhibition
117 artists
May 24, 1938 – Jul 31, 1938
Three Centuries of American Art
247 artists · 7 curators
May 10, 1939 – Sep 30, 1939
Painting, Sculpture, Prints
154 artists
Jul 01, 1941 – Jul 15, 1941
Animals in Art; Designing a Stage Setting
28 artists
Sep 24, 1946 – Nov 17, 1946
Recent Acquisitions in Painting and Sculpture
11 artists