Harriet Whitney Frishmuth (American, 1880 to 1980)
Born in Philadelphia in 1880, Harriet Whitney Frishmuth was one of the most esteemed and ground breaking female sculptors of her time. In her youth, she lived and studied in Switzerland, France, and Germany. At the age of 19, at which time she moved to Paris and briefly studied with Auguste Rodin. Following her return to the United States, Frishmuth attended the Art Students League of New York and, soon after, began to produce her renowned bronzes of female nudes in agile, graceful movement.
Desha Deltiel, a Yugoslav dancer as well as Frishmuth’s favorite model, posed for many of her pieces, such as The Vine; stylistic similarities indicate that Desha may have also posed for The Hunt. In 1928, The Hunt was one of the 29 sculptures in Frishmuth’s solo exhibition at Grand Central Art Galleries. The work depicts the goddess Diana, clasping a bow in her right hand and weightlessly riding two hounds. Through her figures, Frishmuth blended the old with the new, combining classical, idealized forms with the modern dynamism of Art Deco.
Information courtesy of Skinner, Inc., September 2006.
A native of Philadelphia born in 1880, Frishmuth studied in Paris under Rodin and Injalbert, and was a member of the National Academy of Design and the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. Her work stands in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brookgreen Gardens among many other places.
Frishmuth preferred to use dancers rather than models for her work because of their flexibility and strength which was necessary for holding poses for long periods of time. She hired one Yugoslavian ballet dancer named Desha Delteil to model for the majority of the sculptures. Frishmuth had her model dance to music which she felt would capture the feeling she was trying to express, then have her pause when she saw the right movement. She also made sure to be an active participant in the process of casting the bronzes to ensure that each piece was unique and perfect. She is said to have personally inspected and approved every minute detail on each bronze to make sure that they met her idea of perfection, rejecting casts with any sign of tiny imperfections.
Information courtesy of Skinner Inc., November 2003.
Harriet Whitney Frishmuth was born in Philadelphia. She studied in Paris with Auguste Rodin and later at the Art Students League in New York with Gutzon Borglum. To better understand anatomy, she learned dissection at the college of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Her successful career as a sculptor began with a Paris Salon entry in 1903. Dancers were her favorite models and she rendered lithe female nudes as free-standing sculpture and garden fountains.
Information courtesy of James D. Julia Auctions, August, 2007.