John William Cavanaugh (20 September 1921 in
Sycamore, Ohio – 9 January 1985 in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
) was an American
sculptor
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 ...
who worked for much of his career in Washington, DC, where he lived and worked in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. He worked primarily in
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
, a poisonous metal. This is believed to have led to his death from cancer of the
lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
s.
Life
John Cavanaugh was born in rural
Sycamore, Ohio as the third of four sons of Hilda and Chauncy Floyd Cavanaugh, intensely religious, poor ethnic Irish parents. His family struggled, especially after the
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
of his father in 1929 when John was eight. Cavanaugh first attended local schools, but his mother recognized and wanted to encourage his creativity, sending him to an
Ursuline school for art training. In 1938, Cavanaugh went to live and study art in
Urbana, Ohio
Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, west of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the War of 1812. It is t ...
, under Alice Archer Sewall James (1870-1955), learning to paint. (James was a follower of
Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758).
Swedenborg had a ...
.) Cavanaugh graduated from
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, with a BA in 1945, studying English and sculpture.
In 1946, Cavanaugh married Janet Corneille and they had a son together, who died at nine months of hydrocephaly syndrome. In 1949, their second son Jon was born. In 1951, Cavanaugh won a National Sculpture Society Purchase Prize, giving him a lift to have his artistry recognized. But Cavanaugh felt increasingly conflicted about his sexuality, religion and marriage.
In 1956 he left his wife and son, and other family, to move to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
to pursue his sculpture career and make his way. It caused an irrevocable break with his mother, whom he never saw again. After her death, he became reconciled with his brothers, and maintained a relationship with his son.
By 1959 Cavanaugh had developed what became a lifelong relationship with his partner, Philip Froeder, who became an architect and urban planner.
[John Cavanaugh Foundation – About John Cavanaugh](_blank)
/ref> In 1963, they moved to Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
where Froeder had gotten work. This developed as an intensely productive time for Cavanaugh, although he became somewhat isolated from the New York art scene. He continued to participate "in biennial exhibitions at New York’s Sculpture Center until 1977. At the same time, Cavanaugh was receiving income from his twice-yearly exhibitions in his Washington studio space" on Swann Street, NW.
He died in 1985 at the age of 63
Career
Cavanaugh's works have been shown at the National Sculpture Center in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and at the National Arts Club
The National Arts Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and members club on Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1898 by Charles DeKay, an art and literary critic of the ''New York Times'' to "stimulate, foster, and promote public ...
in Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Some of Cavanaugh's pieces were presented by President Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
as state gifts to the presidents of Egypt and France. His sculpture, ''Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...
'', after the Greek goddess of agriculture, is featured in the Friendship Garden of the U.S. National Arboretum
The United States National Arboretum is an arboretum in northeast Washington, D.C., operated by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. It was established in 1927 by an act of Congress after a campaign by USDA ...
. His sculpture of Olive Risley Seward
Olive Risley Seward (July 15, 1844 – November 27, 1908) was a writer and the adopted daughter of William Henry Seward, United States Secretary of State under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson.
Early life
Olive F. Risley, was bor ...
, adopted daughter of William Henry Seward
William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senate, United States Senat ...
, is installed by a private residence in Southeast Washington, near Seward Square, which is named for the statesman.
Some of his sculptural plaques were installed on buildings in the Dupont Circle area which were restored by his partner Froeder. Cavanaugh was prolific and sold numerous sculptures and other works from his Swann Street studio shows. The breadth of Cavanaugh's work extended into less traditional formats including Flux Box Year Two (1967), one of many compilations of small artists' objects produced by the interdisciplinary movement, Fluxus
Fluxus was an international, interdisciplinary community of artists, composers, designers and poets during the 1960s and 1970s who engaged in experimental art performances which emphasized the artistic process over the finished product. Fluxus ...
.
From 2008 to 2011, a retrospective exhibit of Cavanaugh's work, ''In Search of Motion,'' traveled to the Saginaw Art Museum, the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
, and the Dubuque Museum of Art
The Dubuque Museum of Art is an art museum in Dubuque, Iowa. The museum is known for its collection of works by Grant Wood. The collections include more than 2,500 works of art housed in the former Statesman Bank building in downtown Dubuque. The ...
.
Legacy and honors
*The John Cavanaugh Foundation was formed by Philip Froeder and others to preserve his art and make it known.
*The National Sculpture Society annually awards the National Sculpture Society Silver Medal and John Cavanaugh Memorial Prize to artists exhibiting with the institution.
References
External links
John Cavanaugh Foundation's Web Site
"Sculptor Profile :: John Cavanaugh"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cavanaugh, John William
1921 births
1985 deaths
20th-century American sculptors
American male sculptors
Sculptors from Ohio
Artists from Washington, D.C.
Bisexual artists
Deaths from lung disease
American LGBT artists
LGBT people from Ohio
Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences alumni
People from Sycamore, Ohio
People from Dupont Circle
20th-century LGBT people
20th-century American male artists