Frederic Littman (1907–1979) was a Hungarian-American sculptor, whose large sculpted public artwork, frequent collaborations with architect

Pietro Belluschi Pietro Belluschi (August 18, 1899 – February 14, 1994) was an Italian-American architect. A leading figure in modern architecture, he was responsible for the design of over 1,000 buildings.Belluschi, Pietro. (2007). In ''Encyclopædia Britannic ...

, and four decades of teaching "left a towering artistic legacy in Oregon".

Life

Littman was born in Hidegszamos,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

(now Gilău,

Cluj County Cluj County (; german: Kreis Klausenburg, hu, Kolozs megye) is a county (județ) of Romania, in Transylvania. Its seat ( ro, Oraș reședință de județ) is Cluj-Napoca (german: Klausenburg). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Kolozs megye ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

). He studied in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

and then at the Académie Julian in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. By 1931 he'd shown at the

Salon d'Automne The Salon d'Automne (; en, Autumn Salon), or Société du Salon d'automne, is an art exhibition held annually in Paris, France. Since 2011, it is held on the Champs-Élysées, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, in mid-October. The f ...

and entered the

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Scienc ...

; by 1934 he was a full professor and had worked under Charles Malfray at the

Académie Ranson The Académie Ranson was founded in Paris by the French painter Paul Ranson (1862–1909), who himself studied at the Académie Julian, in 1908.

, where he met his wife, Austrian-born fellow sculptor Marianne Gold (1907–1999). As Jews, Littman and his wife fled Europe and came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1940. After a brief stint at

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, they came to

Reed College Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, where Littman was artist-in-residence until 1945. After a collegial divorce, Marianne Gold Littman continued at Reed until the 1950s. They remained lifelong friends. Littman became instructor of sculpture at the Museum Art School of the

Portland Art Museum The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum beca ...

, now the independent

Pacific Northwest College of Art The Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is an art school of Willamette University and is located in Portland, Oregon. Established in 1909, the art school grants Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and graduate degrees including the Master of Fine ...

. He taught there until being named associate professor at

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decad ...

until his retirement in 1973. Among his students was

Manuel Izquierdo Manuel Izquierdo (September 26, 1925 – July 17, 2009) was a sculptor and woodcut artist. He is best known for his abstract, organic welded-metal sculptural forms and his sturdy woodcut prints. Izquierdo was born Manuel Izquierdo Torres in M ...

Work

Littman's work includes: * eight marble vignettes on Oregon's industries, First National Bank Building, Salem, Oregon, with architect Belluschi, 1947 (razed 2017) * sculpted copper low-relief doors, Zion Lutheran Church, Portland, with Belluschi, 1950 *

War Memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

, marble sculpture on the facade of the Marion County Courthouse, Salem, Oregon, with Belluschi, dedicated 1954 * freestanding bronze

Pioneer Woman The ''Pioneer Woman'' monument is a bronze sculpture in Ponca City, Oklahoma, designed by Bryant Baker and dedicated on April 22, 1930. The statue is of a sunbonneted woman leading a child by the hand. It was donated to the State of Oklahoma by ...

Council Crest Park Council Crest Park is a city park in southwest Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Amenities include paved and unpaved paths, a dog off-leash area, picnic tables, public art, a view point, and a wedding site that can be reserved. The park, o ...

, Portland, 1956 * ''Sedes Sapientiae'' (Seat of Wisdom), lead affixed relief, Clark Memorial Library,

University of Portland , mottoeng = The truth will set you free , established = 1901 , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross) , endowment = $218 million , president = Robert D. Kelly , students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...

, 1958 * interior work ('' bimah'', rose window, and bronze ark doors depicting the Biblical account of the burning bush), Temple Beth Israel, Portland, 1960 * '' Farewell to Orpheus'', bronze fountain sculpture on the campus of

, 1968

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Littman, Frederic 1907 births 1979 deaths People from Cluj County American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Académie Julian alumni Jewish American artists Jewish sculptors Portland State University faculty Reed College faculty Pacific Northwest College of Art faculty Sculptors from Oregon 20th-century American Jews Hungarian emigrants to the United States