Adele Schulenburg Gleeson (January 18, 1883 – 1971) was an American sculptor active in Missouri and Connecticut. She shared a studio with Nancy Coonsman and specialized in "vigorous" bas reliefs for St. Louis and New York City buildings.

Early life

Adele E. Schulenburg was born on January 18, 1883, in St. Louis, the daughter of August Wilhelm Schulenburg (1843–1916) and Adele Mallinckrodt (1851–1937). She had two sisters, Eleanor Schulenburg Bausch (1872–1955) and Agnes M. Schulenburg Schaberg (1874–1951), and one brother, Gustavus Otto Schulenburg (1878–1951). Her

maternal grandfather Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually-reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maximum of four genetic gra ...

was Emil Mallinckrodt (1806–1892), a prolific writer whose sons, Gustave, Eduard and Otto, founded G. Mallinckrodt Chemical, St. Louis, in 1867. Adele Schulenburg, together with her friend Nancy Coonsman studied under George Julian Zolnay. After finishing a four-year course in the

St. Louis School of Fine Arts The St. Louis School of Fine Arts was founded as the Saint Louis School and Museum of Fine Arts in 1879 as part of Washington University in St. Louis, and has continuously offered visual arts and sculpture education since then. Its purpose-buil ...

of Washington University in St. Louis, Schulenburg opened a studio in St. Louis for one year. Schulenburg then studied in Philadelphia with Charles Grafly. Schulenburg and Coonsman went abroad to study sculpture in the secessionist private school of Arthur Wilhelm Otto Lewin-Funcke, of Berlin. There Schulenburg remained for one year and a half, touring Germany, Paris, Dresden, Munich, Italy and other places at the end of her studies before returning home.

Career

Coming home from Europe, Adele Schulenburg opened a studio on Grand Avenue and Morgan Street, St. Louis, and Coonsman worked with her in the same studio, although each filled her own commissions and had her individual line of work. Schulenburg made portraits, sketches, reliefs,

statuettes A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...

, busts, fountains, and

architectural design Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complic ...

s. She specialized in "vigorous" bas reliefs for St. Louis and New York City buildings. She did a portrait of

Edward Mallinckrodt Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals is an American-Irish domiciled manufacturer of specialty pharmaceuticals (namely, adrenocorticotropic hormone), generic drugs and imaging agents. In 2017 it generated 90% of its sales from the U.S. healthcare system. ...

, "a fine breathing likeness", and a group of the Rombauer children, "lifelike and clear". The "Incense Burner" was one of her best pieces and many copies of this had been made in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

and terracotta.

Exhibitions

*1909, Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, a world's fair held in Seattle, publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest. * from 1911 to 1930, regular exhibitor to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual Exhibition, from 1911 to 1928 as "Adele Schulenburg" and in 1930 as "Adele Gleeson". In 1914 her work was given extra notice; she presented two sculptures, Portrait Sketch of Mrs. Mallery and Child, commissioned by Atto Mallery, and Scrub Woman. In 1915 she presented another sculpture, Portrait: Susie. * from October 4 to November 1, 1915,

St. Louis Public Library The St. Louis Public Library is a municipal public library system in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It operates sixteen locations, including the main Central Library location. History In 1865, Ira Divoll, the superintendent of the St. Louis ...

, with Nancy Coonsman. One of the exhibits by Coonsman was later presented to the Library. * 1916,

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

. * May 1917, Saint Louis Art Museum, sculptures by Schulenburg and etchings by C.K. Gleeson.

Personal life

Schulenburg lived, among other places, in St. Louis, Missouri (3213 Russell Avenue and 4518 Cote Brilliant Avenue), Kirkwood, Missouri (115 Edwin Avenue), East Haddam, Connecticut and Colchester, Connecticut. On October 31, 1914, Schulenburg married Charles K. Gleeson, another artist. Charles Gleeson was born in St. Louis on March 5, 1878, the son of John Gleeson and Rose Mullen. He studied at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts from 1904 to 1907, at the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

in 1908, and at the

Académie Colarossi The Académie Colarossi (1870–1930) was an art school in Paris founded in 1870 by the Italian model and sculptor Filippo Colarossi. It was originally located on the Île de la Cité, and it moved in 1879 to 10 rue de la Grande-Chaumière in the ...

and the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris from 1909 to 1910. In both years he exhibited etchings at the Paris Salon. He then became the Art instructor at the Central High School in St. Louis. They had two children: Rosamund Elsbeth and Karl Kinsheleah. Schulenburg died in 1964 at East Haddam, Connecticut.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schulenburg Gleeson, Adele 1883 births 1971 deaths Artists from St. Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts alumni American women sculptors Sculptors from Missouri