Katharine Ward Lane Weems (American, 1899 to 1989)
Katherine Lane Weems sleek and abstracted animals capture the character and grace of her subjects. the streamlined forms and fluid lines reflect the Art Deco aesthetic of her time. She studied at the Boston Museum School with Charles Grafly but was also greatly influenced by fellow female sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington. Her work can be seen at the New England Aquarium, a fountain at Boston’s esplanade plaza, and in 1933 she designed the facade of Harvard’s Biology laboratory.
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Katharine Ward Lane Weems was born in 1899 in Boston into a wealthy family. After some early success with her bronze sculptures, Weems began to exhibit her work in galleries across the country. She was drawn in particular to the graceful, flowing lines of animals, and these sculptures would be her most well known subjects. She studied anatomy under the sculptor Brenda Putnam and improved her ability to record animal forms by traveling to the Bronx Zoo to sketch there.
Information courtesy of Skinner Inc., November, 2005.
Weems formally trained at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her work shows the influence of artists such as John Singer Sargent and Anna Hyatt Huntington, both of whom had nearby studios. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, holds several of her bronzes in their permanent collection.
Information courtesy of Skinner Inc., September 2003.