Arthur C. Morgan (1904–1994) was an American sculptor, mostly of Louisiana political and business figures. Morgan's work can be seen across his home state of Louisiana and in the

Capitol Visitor Center The United States Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) is a large underground addition to the United States Capitol complex which serves as a gathering point for up to 4,000 tourists and an expansion space for the US Congress.Washington, DC. He and his wife Gladys B. Morgan ran an art school, the Southwestern Institute of Arts, in their

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

home for over forty years.

Early life and education

Born Arthur Carmine Morgan on August 3, 1904, at Riverton Plantation in Ascension Parish, he was educated in Louisiana public and private schools. At an early age Morgan went to New England and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, where he attended art schools and graduated from Beaux-Arts Institute of Design, a mostly vocational art school in New York City. He became a private pupil and protégé of Gutzon Borglum and worked in the studios of Mario Korbel,

Attilio Piccirilli Attilio Piccirilli (May 16, 1866 – October 8, 1945) was an American sculptor. Born in Massa, Italy, he was educated at the Accademia di San Luca of Rome. Life and career Piccirilli came to the United States in 1888 and worked for his fa ...

, and others.

Sculpting and teaching career

Morgan began exhibiting his work at age fifteen. At least one critic called him a "boy prodigy."''

Shreveport Journal ''The Shreveport Journal'' was an American newspaper originally published by H. P. Benton in Shreveport and Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana. In operation from at least 1897, it ceased publication in 1991. History The name ''The Journal' ...

'', 8 July 1935. At age sixteen in 1920 Morgan was given his first commission, for a bust of physician Simon Baruch (father of financier

Bernard M. Baruch Bernard Mannes Baruch (August 19, 1870 – June 20, 1965) was an American financier and statesman. After amassing a fortune on the New York Stock Exchange, he impressed President Woodrow Wilson by managing the nation's economic mobilization in W ...

).''New York Herald'', 10 April 1921 This led to more commissions for busts and bas-reliefs, often 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 ...

. He also made decorative bronzes and garden sculptures. In 1928 Morgan went back to Louisiana to begin work on a proposed Longfellow Evangeline national monument at Bayou Teche in

St. Martinville St. Martinville (french: Saint-Martin)Jack A. Reynolds. "St. Martinville" entry i"Louisiana Placenames of Romance Origin."LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses #7852. 1942. p. 480. is a city in and the parish seat of St. Martin Parish, Louisiana ...

. Although Morgan worked in New Orleans on models for the project, it ended at that stage owing to funding woes.''Louisiana Press'', 2 August 1925 That same year Morgan settled permanently in

where he taught sculpture,

drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

and art history at Centenary College. There he met faculty member and watercolor artist Gladys Butler (born 1899), whom he married on July 26, 1929, in McDonald County, Missouri. In 1934 the Morgans left the college and began an art and music school in their home, calling it the Southwestern Institute of Arts. The Morgans had two daughters, Diana Morgan Welsh (born 1930) and Cynthia Butler Morgan (born 1932). Cynthia died in May 1936 following a house fire. For his daughter's tombstone Morgan designed a granite

medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

, with a bas-relief profile of the girl and

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

lettering, which is listed by the Smithsonian. Following the fire, the Morgans moved with their art school to 657 Jordan Street in Shreveport where it stayed open for more than forty years. Built in 1909, by 2011 the classical revival, two-story, four-columned house was still standing but abandoned. In 1975, after leasing their Shreveport property and furnishings to Max Edmonson, president of the Shreveport Boys choir, Morgan and his wife moved to London from whence they hoped to acquire marble in Italy for some of his sculpting projects. However these plans fell through and they came back to the United States in January 1978. Morgan sculpted many busts and decorative bronzes, among them larger architectural sculptures and marble groups. His work is in private collections and public buildings such as Louisiana State University, Centenary College, the US Federal Court House at Alexandria, Louisiana, and the US Capitol in Washington D.C. Through the span of his career Morgan had long-lasting friendships with

Jules Bache Jules Semon Bache (November 9, 1861 – March 24, 1944) was an American banker, art collector and philanthropist. Early life Julius Bache was born to a Jewish family in New York City. His father, Semon Bache

é Bach É, é ( e-acute) is a letter of the Latin alphabet. In English, it is used for loanwords (such as French ''résumé''), romanization (Japanese ''Pokémon'') or occasionally as a pronunciation aid in poetry. Languages may use ''é'' to indic ...

(1826–1891), emigrate ...

Lincoln Borglum James Lincoln de la Mothe Borglum (April 9, 1912 – January 27, 1986) was an American sculptor, photographer, author and engineer; he was best known for overseeing the completion of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial after the death of the ...

Frances Elliott Clark Frances Elliott Clark (1860–1958) was an early music-appreciation advocate. As a teacher in twentieth century Ottumwa, Iowa, Clark spent ten minutes in each of her chorus rehearsals telling students about composers or helping them recognize the st ...

and Jean Despujols.''Shreveport Times'', 9 June 1977 His wife Gladys B. Morgan died in 1981. Arthur C. Morgan died on September 9, 1994, in Shreveport, after which much of his work was reportedly thrown away or abandoned, though some was later recovered and put in storage. Morgan, his wife Gladys and their daughter Cynthia are buried together in the same family plot at Forest Park East Cemetery in Shreveport. His grave is unmarked.

Works and commissions

* Simon Baruch, (private collection) 1921 *

Henry L. Fuqua Henry Luse Fuqua Sr. (November 8, 1865 – October 11, 1926), was an American government official and politician. A Democrat, he is most notable for his service as the 38th Governor of Louisiana from 1924 until his death in 1926. Biography Henr ...

, Louisiana governor, 1924. * James M. Smith, president of Louisiana State University, 1931. * R. B. Butler, judge, originally at the Terrebonne Parish Courthouse, Houma Louisiana, 1936. * Cynthia medallion, 1936. *

Cecil Morgan Cecil Morgan Sr. (August 20, 1898 – June 14, 1999) was an American politician in the state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the Unite ...

, vice president of Esso Standard Oil Co. (private collection), 1939. * Edward Douglass White, US supreme court justice,

Capitol Visitor Center The United States Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) is a large underground addition to the United States Capitol complex which serves as a gathering point for up to 4,000 tourists and an expansion space for the US Congress.Earl K. Long Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician and the List of governors of Louisiana, 45th governor of Louisiana, serving three nonconsecutive terms. Long, known as "Uncle Earl", connected with voters th ...

, Louisiana governor, monument, Winnfield, Louisiana, 1962. *

Henry Miller Shreve Henry Miller Shreve (October 21, 1785 – March 6, 1851) was the American inventor and steamboat captain who opened the Mississippi, Ohio, and Red rivers to steamboat navigation. Shreveport, Louisiana, is named in his honor. Shreve was also instru ...

monument, Riverfront Pkwy, Shreveport, Louisiana, 1967. * Clyde E. Fant, mayor of Shreveport, 1975 * Jean Despujols, French- American painter, (private collection), 1948 & 1977 *

John D. Ewing John Dunbrack Ewing, Sr. (February 13, 1892 – May 18, 1952), was a Louisiana journalist who served as editor and publisher of both the ''Shreveport Times'' and the ''Monroe News-Star-World'' (since the ''Monroe News-Star'') from 1931 until his ...

, editor and publisher, Shreveport Times Building. * Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette, French general, unveiled at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, N.Y., 1922 *

Lyle Saxon Lyle Saxon (18911946) was a writer and journalist who reported for ''The Times-Picayune'' in New Orleans, Louisiana. He directed the Federal Writers' Project Works Progress Administration (WPA) guide to Louisiana. Life Saxon was born on Septem ...

, New Orleans journalist, ''Times-Picayune'', 1931 * Peter Bonneau Jr., memorial medallion, Kappa Alpha Fraternity, 1947 * Van Cliburn medallion, Symphony House, 1958 * A. J. Hodges, Hodges Gardens, 1972 * John McWilliams Ford, mayor of Shreveport and later commissioner of finance (1930–1965). * Stone carvings, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Holy Rosary Catholic Church. * James Cousins, Michigan senator, portrait bust *

Joseph E. Ransdell Joseph Eugene Ransdell (October 7, 1858July 27, 1954) was an attorney and politician from Louisiana. Beginning in 1899, he was elected for seven consecutive terms as United States representative from Louisiana's 5th congressional district. He sub ...

, Louisiana senator * ''Transportation of the Mails'' (bronzes), U.S. Post Office & Courthouse, Alexandria, Louisiana * Fountain figures, Bossier Center and Kilpatrick Life Insurance Building.

References

External links

*
Sculpture, Clyde E. Fant

Sculpture, A.J. Hodges

Cynthia medallion image at findagrave.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Arthur C. 1904 births 1994 deaths People from Ascension Parish, Louisiana 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors Beaux-Arts Institute of Design (New York City) alumni