Edward Marshall Boehm (August 21, 1913 – January 29, 1969) was an American figurative expressionist sculptor, known for his porcelain figures of birds and other wildlife.Frank J. Cosentino Edward Marshall Boehm profile (Chicago: Lakeside Press, 1970); OCLC 101799; pp. 30, 43 Boehm explained his choice of porcelain as the medium for his art as follows:
''"Porcelain is a permanent creation. If properly processed and fired, its colors will never change; and it can be subjected to extreme temperatures without damage. It is a medium in which one can portray the everlasting beauty of form and color of wildlife and nature."''''Boehm's Birds: The Porcelain Art of Edward Marshall Boehm'' (New York: Frederic Fell, 1966), pp. 7-8; OCLC 150502385
He and his wife founded an eponymous company, E.M. Boehm Studios, in 1950.
Biography
Edward Marshall Boehm was born in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
in 1913. His surname is pronounced "Beam".
His parents separated before his birth. His mother, Elsie, died when he was seven years old. (He did not meet his father until he was in his twenties.) Friends enrolled him in an all-boys school for orphans and the poor, the
McDonogh School
McDonogh School is a private, coeducational, PK-12, college-preparatory school founded in Owings Mills, Maryland, United States in 1873. The school is named after John McDonogh, whose estate originally funded the school. The school now enrolls ...
, where he remained until he was 16 years old, when he left to work as a farmhand. He studied animal husbandry at the
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
.
From 1934 to 1942, he managed Longacres Farm on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula tha ...
, specializing in
Guernsey cattle
The Guernsey is a breed of dairy cattle from the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It is fawn or red and white in colour, and is hardy and docile. Its milk is rich in flavour, high in fat and protein, and has a golden-yellow tinge du ...
. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
at
Pawling, New York
Pawling may refer to:
*Pawling (town), New York, in Dutchess County
** Pawling (village), New York, in the town of Pawling
*** Pawling (Metro-North station), train station for the village
** Pawling Nature Reserve, in the northern section of the ...
. After World War II, Boehm apprenticed for six months with sculptor
Herbert Haseltine
Herbert Chevalier Haseltine (1877–1962) was an Italian-born French/ American animalier sculptor, most known as an Equestrian sculptor.
Early life and education
Hesltine was born in Rome, the son of the American landscape painter William Sta ...
. Boehm studied draftsmanship three times a week and taught himself the ancient process of porcelain making.Edward Marshall Boehm (1913-1969) profile tfaoi.com; accessed December 11, 2014.
In 1944, he married Helen Franzolin (12/26/1920–11/15/2010). They moved to
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.
Boehm kept a large collection of exotic birds in extensive aviaries and tropical houses at his home in Trenton. These birds became some of the subjects and inspiration for his sculptures. Many of these species were successfully bred, approximately 12 were recognised as being for the first time in captivity anywhere in the world. For these breeding successes Edward Boehm received a number of commemorative medals and plaques.Reese Palley ''The Porcelain Art of Edward Marshall Boehm'' Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1976;
Death
Edward Marshall Boehm died from a heart attack on January 29, 1969, aged 55. His widow, Helen Boehm, died in 2010, aged 89. The couple is interred at Saint Mary's Cemetery, Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey.
Legacy
Boehm was accorded his highest honor in 1992 when a wing of the
Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums ( it, Musei Vaticani; la, Musea Vaticana) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of ...
in Rome was named in his memory. This was the first time in its 500-year history that one of the 13 museums in the Vatican was named for an American citizen, as the twelve other museums are named for popes and
royal families
A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papa ...
* ''”The image and likeness of God's world is seen at once in the work of Edward Marshall Boehm. It is not an elusive and esoteric expression like so much of
contemporary art
Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...
. Clarity is its first quality. Its grandeur is in its perfection. It is a disciplined art, mastering the demands of the ancient and distinguished craft of porcelain making”''
* Frank J. Cosentino, president of ''Edward Marshall Boehm, Inc.'', explained the importance of Boehm's hard-paste porcelain sculpture: ''"Prior to Edward Marshall Boehm's venture in 1950s, few, if any, American firms had ever made hard-paste porcelain sculpture that successfully compared with the fine centuries-old production of Europe and Asia."''
Selected Collections
Today Boehm porcelain is in the permanent collections of one hundred thirty-four institutions globally including:
*
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams 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, ...
London, England
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
* Elysѐe Palace,
Paris, France
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
* The Vatican Museum,
Vatican City
Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—'
* german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ')
* pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—'
* pt, Cidade do Vati ...
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
*
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
, Washington, D.C.
*
New Jersey State Museum
The New Jersey State Museum is located at 195-205 West State Street in Trenton, New Jersey. It serves a broad region between New York City and Philadelphia. The museum's collections include natural history specimens, archaeological and ethnograph ...
,
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Page Museum).
LACMA was founded in 19 ...
* The
Brooks Museum of Art
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is an art museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The Brooks Museum, which was founded in 1916, is the oldest and largest art museum in the state of Tennessee. The museum is a privately funded nonprofit institution located in O ...
,
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
* The
Louisiana State Museum
The Louisiana State Museum (LSM), founded in New Orleans in 1906, is a statewide system of National Historic Landmarks and modern structures across Louisiana, housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic ...
* The
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) is a public academic health science center in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System.
UT Health San Antonio is the largest health scie ...
Fort Valley, Georgia
Fort Valley is a city in and the county seat of Peach County, Georgia, Peach County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,780.
The city is in the Warner Robi ...