Gilbert Alfred Franklin (1919–2004) was an English-born American sculptor and educator. He was active in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and Wellfleet,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

; and was best known for his public art sculptures.

Early life and education

Gilbert Franklin was born on June 6, 1919 in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and raised in Attleboro,

. His father was a jeweler. Franklin's earliest coursework was at the Hawthorne School of Art (now the

Cape Cod School of Art The Cape Cod School of Art, also known as Hawthorne School of Art, was the first outdoor school of figure painting in America; it was started by Charles Webster Hawthorne in Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown is a New England town located ...

), studying under John Robinson Frazier. He attended

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

(RISD), graduating with a BFA degree in 1941; as well as completing studies at the

Museo Nacional de Arte The Museo Nacional de Arte (MUNAL) ( en, National Museum of Art) is the Mexico, Mexican national art museum, located in the Centro (Mexico City), historical center of Mexico City. The museum is housed in a neoclassical building at No. 8 Tacuba, C ...

(in 1942) in Mexico City; and the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

(in 1949). He had been a student of Waldemar Raemisch, and

John Howard Benson John Howard Benson (July 6, 1901 – February 23, 1956) was an American calligrapher, stonecarver, incised letter designer, author, and educator. Career He was educated at Rogers High School, the National Academy of Design, and the Art Students ...

. Franklin was married to Joyce Gertrude (née Swirsky) and together they had one daughter, art historian Nina Franklin Berson.

Career

Franklin served on the fine arts faculty at RISD between 1942 to 1985. Two of his bronze works are prominent on the RISD campus, ''Orpheus Ascending'' (1963) and ''Daybreak'' (1968) the latter found on the "RISD beach". He had been honored as the H.M. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts; and served as a

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of the fine arts department at RISD. Additionally he taught at

San Jose State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sys ...

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. After his former professor Raemisch's death in 1955, Franklin completed Raemisch's 19 figure sculpture commission for public art in Philadelphia. In 1948, he was awarded the

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

fellowship. In 1959, he won the grand prize at the

Boston Arts Festival The contemporary Boston Arts Festival is an annual event showcasing Boston's visual and performing arts community and promoting Boston's Open Studios program. The weekend-long Festival at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park features a wide variet ...

for his work, ''Beach Figure''. Franklin was awarded the honorary title of

National Academician The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fine ...

(1991). Franklin died at the age of 85 on October 19, 2004 in his home in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. File:Abraham Lincoln statue, Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island.jpg, alt=Abraham Lincoln statue (1954), ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1954) File:Orpheus Ascending, Frazier Terrace.jpg, ''Orpheus Ascending'' (1963) File:Rhode Island School of Design beach.jpg, alt=Daybreak (1968), ''Daybreak'' (1968) File:Gilbert A. Franklin and Truman statue.jpg, alt=Gilbert A. Franklin posing with Truman statue (c. 1975), with Truman statue (c. 1975) File:Harry S. Truman statue -Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, USA-18Jan2009.jpg, Harry S. Truman statue (1991)

Public works

* ''Abraham Lincoln'' statue (1954),

Roger Williams Park Roger Williams Park is an elaborately landscaped city park in Providence, Rhode Island and a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is named after Roger Williams, the founder of the city of Providence and the pr ...

, Providence, Rhode Island; gift of the Henry W. Harvey Trust * ''Orpheus Ascending'' (1963), Frazier Terrace, Rhode Island School of Design campus, Providence, Rhode Island * ''Daybreak'' (1968), Rhode Island School of Design campus, Providence, Rhode Island * ''Harry S. Truman'' statue (1976), Independence Square,

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

* ''U.S. Navy Memorial bas-relief'' (1991), U.S. Navy Memorial, Washington, DC * ''Seaforms'' (1993), Wellfleet Public Library, Wellfleet, Massachusetts

Exhibitions

* 1993, ''Celebrating Long Point'', group exhibition, Noel Fine Arts,

Bronxville Bronxville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises one square mile (2.5 km2) of land in its entirety, ...

, New York * 2004, solo, Picture Gallery, Cornish, New Hampshire * 2016, ''The Bridge at the End of the Road'', solo exhibition, John Spoor Broome Library Gallery, CSU Channel Islands (CI)

References

External links

Oral history interview with Gilbert A. Franklin, 1978 April 13
from

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washingt ...

, Smithsonian Institution {{DEFAULTSORT:Franklin, Gilbert 1919 births 2004 deaths People from Wellfleet, Massachusetts Artists from Providence, Rhode Island American male sculptors Rhode Island School of Design alumni Rhode Island School of Design faculty National Academy of Design members People from Attleboro, Massachusetts 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors