Louis Linck (January 12, 1895 – October 31, 1962) was a French and American sculptor. During his lifetime of sculpting he worked for a number of private clients as well as the Works Progress Administration (WPA), during the Depression, and the International College of Surgeons. His most accessible work is a number of larger-than-life statues permanently on display at the

International Museum of Surgical Science The International Museum of Surgical Science is a museum located in the Gold Coast neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is operated by The International College of Surgeons and features exhibits dealing with various aspects of Eastern and Wester ...

in Chicago.

Biography

Early life

Louis Linck was born in Paris and grew up in the 18th district (

Arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements ...

). His father was an accountant, and although Louis also had a knack for math, he preferred art (much to his father's dismay). He had two sisters, although one died in childhood, and his mother died when he was 18. He had just graduated with a degree in Engineering, but like most men of his generation, he soon joined the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

at the outbreak of World War I. His artistic skills, however, put him in the

map-making Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

department, which may have helped him survive.

Education

Louis Linck studied at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris. In the 1920s he won a competition sponsored by the Northwestern Terra Cotta Company of Chicago and moved to Illinois to work for them. He was employed by the American Art Bronze Foundry for several years, making models of plaques and medals, and also worked for Chicagos Century of Progress Exposition. In 1935 he was hired by the Federal Art Project to design several pieces of public sculpture. The FAP was a New Deal program that supported art education across the United States.

Marriage and children

He met his future bride, Rose, on

Armistice Day Armistice Day, later known as Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States, is commemorated every year on 11 November to mark the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, Fran ...

, November 11, 1918, in a small French town near the Belgian border, as the Germans were retreating from France. They were married in 1920, and continued to live with Louis's father in Paris. They had two daughters, both born prior to their emigration to the U.S. *Lucienne (1921 – ) born in Mohon, France. *Georgette (1925 –; 2003 ) born in Paris, France.

Career

In 1926 Linck entered a contest in France for sculptors. The 12 winners would get a 1-year contract to work in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

for the Northwestern Terra Cota Company. (At the time, the style of many of the new buildings there included sculptures, bas-reliefs, etc.) Louis was one of the winners, so he, his wife, and their youngest daughter left for

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in February 1927. After living there several months, they decided to stay, and sent for their older daughter to join them. Around 1930, Northwestern laid off most of their workers, a result of the Great Depression. Fortunately, Rose had a job, so Louis was able to continue his art work in spite of the lack of paying work. Later in the 1930s, Louis worked for the Illinois Art Project, or IAP, which was a state program funded by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

Federal Art Project The Federal Art Project (1935–1943) was a New Deal program to fund the visual arts in the United States. Under national director Holger Cahill, it was one of five Federal Project Number One projects sponsored by the Works Progress Administrati ...

. At least two pieces he did for the IAP were later donated to the Smithsonian by Louis Chester; one of these is currently (2007) on display. From 1953 to 1954, he worked on a number of larger-than-life-size sculpted figures for the International College of Surgeons, now known as the

, located on Lakeshore Drive in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. These are still on permanent display in their "Hall of Immortals", and include statues of

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

Andreas Vesalius Andreas Vesalius (Latinized from Andries van Wezel) () was a 16th-century anatomist, physician, and author of one of the most influential books on human anatomy, ''De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem'' (''On the fabric of the human body'' ' ...

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Wilhelm may refer to: People and fictional characters * William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm" * Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname Other uses * Mount ...

, Ambroise Paré,

Joseph Lister Joseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister, (5 April 182710 February 1912) was a British surgeon, medical scientist, experimental pathologist and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery and preventative medicine. Joseph Lister revolutionised the craft of ...

, and

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history o ...

. His good friend and colleague, Edouard Chassaing, did a number of the other statues in this display. His daughter reports that he was somewhat well known for his 3/4-profile

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

plaques, which he did of Douglas MacArthur, Charles de Gaulle, and other individuals.

Works

International Museum of Surgical Science
1524 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60610 *Statues:

Ambroise Paré

Asklepios *bust: "The Angel (Bust of

Maurice Tillet Maurice Tillet (23 October 1903 – 4 September 1954) was a Russian-born French professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, The French Angel. Tillet was a leading box office draw in the early 1940s and was twice World Heavyweight Cham ...

)", 1950 Polo Players
ca. 1935–1940
plaster
2 men with 2 horses
× × in. (14.0 × 14.4 × 10.0 cm)
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Louis Cheskin
1977.42.5
On view at:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
4th floor, Luce Foundation Center, Case 48A

Reclining Nude Figure
1930–1940
painted plaster
female full-length nude
× × in. (11.4 × 16.7 × 25.0 cm)
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Gift of Louis Cheskin
1977.42.6
Not currently on view

References

External links

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Louis Linck on AskArt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linck, Louis A. 1895 births 1962 deaths 20th-century American male artists 20th-century American sculptors American male sculptors Federal Art Project artists French emigrants to the United States French military personnel of World War I

Biography

Early life

Education

Marriage and children

Career

Works

See also

References

External links