Flickr - USCapitol - Sarah Winnemucca Statue

Benjamin Matthew Victor (b. Taft, California, January 16, 1979) is an American sculptor living and working in Boise, Idaho. He is the only living artist to have three works in the

National Statuary Hall The National Statuary Hall is a chamber in the United States Capitol devoted to sculptures of prominent Americans. The hall, also known as the Old Hall of the House, is a large, two-story, semicircular room with a second story gallery along th ...

in the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. He is currently sculpting his fourth statue for the Statuary Hall, of Daisy Bates. He was only 26 years old when his first statue, ''

Sarah Winnemucca Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins ( – October 17, 1891) was a Northern Paiute author, activist (lecturer) and educator (school organizer). Her maiden name is Winnemucca. Her Northern Paiute language, Northern Paiute name was Thocmentony, also spelled To ...

,'' a

Paiute Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...

activist in Nevada, was dedicated in the Hall in 2005, making him the youngest artist to ever be represented in the Hall. In 2014, his

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Norman Borlaug Norman Ernest Borlaug (; March 25, 1914September 12, 2009) was an American agronomist who led initiatives worldwide that contributed to the extensive increases in agricultural production termed the Green Revolution. Borlaug was awarded multiple ...

, "the father of the Green Revolution," was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall and in 2019, his statue of Chief Standing Bear, a Native American rights leader, was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall making him the only living artist to have three sculptures in the Hall.

Early life

Benjamin Matthew Victor was born in 1979 in Taft,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. He grew up in

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's populat ...

. After completing high school, he lived in for a time in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. He attended

Northern State University Northern State University (NSU) is a public university in Aberdeen, South Dakota. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 45 bachelor's degrees, 53 minors, six associate degrees, 16 pre-professional programs, 23 certifi ...

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen (Lakota language, Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre, South Dakota, Pierre. The city population was 2 ...

, studying art and sculpture.

Career

Victor’s first work to receive attention was a life-size statue of the biblical character

Samson Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...

, sculpted when the artist was a sophomore art major at

. The piece earned Victor a scholarship "in recognition of his aesthetic and conceptual integrity" from the prestigious

National Sculpture Society Founded in 1893, the National Sculpture Society (NSS) was the first organization of professional sculptors formed in the United States. The purpose of the organization was to promote the welfare of American sculptors, although its founding members ...

in New York City. At age 23, Victor was commissioned to produce his proposal of a trio of soldiers for the

Aberdeen Regional Airport Aberdeen Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) east of the central business district of Aberdeen, a city in Brown County, South Dakota, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation ...

War Memorial in South Dakota. Victor has completed numerous commissions from city, institutions and non-profits for public art works throughout the West and upper Midwest, often to commemorate individuals or groups. He was commissioned by the state of

to make sculptures of

, a 19th-century

activist, one for installation in 2005 at its capitol and one to be installed as one of Nevada's official works in the United States Statuary Hall in the

United States Capitol Building The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

, Washington, D.C. At age 26, Victor was the youngest sculptor to have a work installed at the hall. Norman Borlaug Statue

Notable works

*''Aberdeen Monument to Firefighters'', Aberdeen Fire Department, Station #1,

*
Aberdeen War Memorial
', Aberdeen Regional Airport, Aberdeen, South Dakota *
Answering the Call
', Tempe Beach Park, Tempe, Arizona *''Belle Babb Mansfield'', monument to the First Female Attorney,

Iowa Wesleyan College Iowa Wesleyan University is a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. It is Iowa's first co-educational institution of higher learning and the oldest of its type west of the Mississippi River. The institution is affiliated with the United Met ...

, Iowa *''Bob Hoover'', Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Washington, DC *
Cecil Harris
',

, Aberdeen, South Dakota *''Chief Standing Bear'', Centennial Mall, Lincoln, Nebraska *
Coach Jim Valvano
', North Carolina State Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina *
Coach Everett Case
', North Carolina State Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina *''Community'', Wells Avenue,

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

*
Delilah
', Avenue of the Arts,

Gillette, Wyoming Gillette (, '' jih-LET'') is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The town was founded in 1891 as a major railway town on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The population was estimated at 32,030 a ...

* '' Dr. Norman E Borlaug'', National Statuary Hall, Washington, DC *''Dr.

Susan LaFlesche Picotte Susan La Flesche Picotte (June 17, 1865 – September 18, 1915, Omaha) was a Native American doctor and reformer in the late 19th century. She is widely acknowledged as one of the first Indigenous peoples, and the first Indigenous woman, to ea ...

'', Centennial Mall, Lincoln, Nebraska *''Falls Past and Falls Today'', Gateway to the Falls,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

*
Gretchen Fraser
', Olympic Women's Monument, Sun Valley, Idaho *''Independence'', S. Wells Avenue and Roberts Street,

*''Kansas State Monument to Firefighters'', Kansas State Capitol Building,

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

*
Lyle Smith
', Albertsons Stadium, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho *''Make a Wish Boy and Girl,'' Make a Wish Building, Sioux Falls, South Dakota *''Monument to 1st Battalion 1st Marines'', Castaways Park,

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

*''Monument to Firefighters'', Fire Station #5,

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

*''Monument to WWII Airmen'',

Boise Airport Boise Airport (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field) is a joint civil-military airport in the western United States, south of downtown Boise in Ada County, Idaho. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation and is overseen ...

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

*''Portrait of

Terry Redlin Terry Avon Redlin (July 11, 1937 – April 24, 2016) was an American artist popular for painting outdoor themes and wildlife, often pictured in twilight. During the 1990s he was frequently named "America's most popular artist" in annual gallery s ...

'', Redlin Art Center, Redlin, South Dakota *''ReTrac Corridor Sculpture Project'', ReTrac Corridor,

*''Robert the Bruce'', Private Collection, Linlithgow, Scotland *''Samson'',

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

*''Samson the Mighty'', Avenue of the Arts,

*''

'', U.S. National Statuary Hall, Washington, D.C. and Nevada State Capitol Building,

Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

*
Senator Richard Bryan
', University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada *''Sequoyah'', Private Collection,

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

*
Taft Oilworker Monument
', Taft, CA *''The Seasons'', United Clinic,

*''War Memorial Sculpture'', Aberdeen Regional Airport, South Dakota *''Where Cultures Meet'', California State University - Dominguez Hills,

Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...

*''Alexander Hamilton,''

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast Gu ...

, New London, CT (Gift by the Class of '63)

References

External links

Sarah Winnemucca Statue, U.S. Capitol for Nevada , AOC
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110707223651/http://benjaminvictor.com/videos/ksfy_samson_interview.wmv *https://web.archive.org/web/20110707223651/http://www.benjaminvictor.com/articles/scanned/Articles-012.pdf *https://web.archive.org/web/20110707223712/http://www.benjaminvictor.com/articles/scanned/Articles-036.pdf
Ben Victor Studios
Official website

*http://benjaminvictor.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/LifeSizeSamsonTakingShapeatNSU11-26-2002.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Victor, Benjamin 1979 births Living people People from Bakersfield, California People from Taft, California Sculptors from California 21st-century American sculptors 21st-century American male artists American male sculptors Northern State University alumni Boise State University faculty