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Sidney Simon

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Sidney Simon
The Four Seasons Fountain Sculpture
located at One Worldwide Plaza, New York, New York
Born(1917-05-21)May 21, 1917
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DiedAugust 4, 1997(1997-08-04) (aged 80)
Truro, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Other namesSid Simon
EducationBachelor of fine Arts
Alma materCarnegie Institute of Technology
OccupationArtist
Years active1938-1997
EraNew York School (art)
Known forAmerican official war artist
Notable work
  • U.S. and Japan WWII peace treaty signing aboard the U.S.S. Missouri
  • The Four Seasons Fountain Sculpture
StylePainting, Sculpture
Military career
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1942-1946
RankCaptain
Battles/warsSouth West Pacific Theater of World War II
Awards
  • Bronze Star

Sidney A. Simon (May 21, 1917 – August 4, 1997) was an American painter, sculptor, muralist, art school co-founder, and American official war artist.

Early life

Sidney Simon was born May 21, 1917 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His interest in at began at an early age. Aged five, Simon won an art contest.[1] Simon's father was James Simon a shoe store merchant[2] who immigrated, in 1912, from an area between Siedlce and Sokołów Podlaski in Poland then Russia. Simon's mother was Mimmie Lipman who immigrated  in 1913 with her family from Kalvarija, Marijampolė County, southwestern Lithuania, near Poland's border area then under Russian rule.[3] The James and Mimmie Simon's marriage produced five children, Leon, Sidney, Helen Judith, Leon Jacob, David Irving. Mimmie Lipman's father's Americanized name was "Max Lipman" shortened from his European name which was Avram Michael Lipmanovitch. 1930 US census states Simon's family resided in the Squirrel Hill, an east end Pittsburgh neighborhood at 2766 Beechwood Boulevard.[4] Simon  attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1936 Taylor Allderdice High School honored Simon with a never before one-man art exhibit of the young artist works. At this time missing from the exhibit was an award-winning sculpture titled "Mother Earth" which was on tour with the National Scholastic Art Exhibit. The sculpture won Simon a 1-year scholarship to Dayton Art Institute. At this time Simon also won a John L. Porter Scholarship for two months summer study at Carnegie Institute of Technology, (now Carnegie Mellon University). After high school Simon attended Carnegie Institute of Technology earning a Bachelor of fine Arts, years 1931-36.

Education

Simon attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At an early age, Simon's art potential was already recognized by his teachers when several of his works toured with the National Scholastic Art Exhibit. One sculpture, titled "Mother Earth", was part of nine pieces on tour gained special recognition, thus rewarding Simon a one-year scholarship to Dayton Art Institution, and a John L. Porter Scholarship which afforded Simon two months of study at Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1936, Taylor Allderdice High School honored Simon with a one-man show when they lined their halls with his works in the only one man show given to one student up until that time.[5] After completing secondary education, Simon attended Carnegie Tech from 1931 to 1936,[6] earned his bachelor's in fine arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania, where he enrolled between 1936 and 1941.[6] Simon also studied at the Barnes Foundation of Merion, Pennsylvania, between 1937 and 1940,[7] as well as the Grande Chaumiere, in Paris, France, from 1948 to 1949.

Military service

Simon enlisted U.S. Army November 11, 1942,[8] rose to rank Captain. Officer Simon serving as Captain in the Army Corps of Engineers, Private Simon age 25 then stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia art talent became recognized. Simon headed and develop and a special service branch referred to as Morale Division. This experimental art and design pioneer test pilot project lead the way for other similar morale project throughout the military. Simon's Morale division was task with improving the appeal of the recreation center with Murals and other appointments even down to the drapers.[9] Simon and Willard W.Cummings along with two other artist later co-founder of The Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.[10] Officer Simon served 2 1/ 2 years, March 1943 - October 1945 as an Official American war artist assigned to General Douglas MacArthur's headquarter.[11] Simon plus three other artists of his art unit covered major operations in New Guinea and the Philippines during Southwest Pacific Theater operation.[9] His duties included painting and drawing and doing field reconnaissance intelligence. Simon was chosen to paint the formal surrender ceremony as witnessed September 2, 1945 in Tokyo Bay aboard battleship USS Missouri.[12][13][14] referred to as V-J Day, ending WWII.[15] This historical painting is reported to have hung in the White House.[13] Simon was discharged and released April 19, 1946.

Post-military career

Simon along with artist Willard W. Cummings (1915-1975), Henry Varnum Poor (1888-1971), and Charles Cutler (1914-1970), sensing emergence of the New York School influence the four artists found and developed Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture located in Madison, Maine.[10] Central to a public plaza at One Worldwide Plaza, Simon created and sculptured a fountain consisting of four female holding up a stylized earth globe, titled "The Four Seasons"[16] [17]

Death

Sidney Simon died on August 4, 1997, at the age of 80 in Truro, Massachusetts. Simon's first marriage, to Joan E Lewisohn, with whom he had five children, ended in divorce. Simon's second marriage in 1968 was to Renee Adriance in Manhattan, New York City. At Simon's passing, he was survived by Renee Lane Adriance Simon, and two children, including Tony Simon, who performs as Blockhead.[18]

Notable works

  • Painting of the signing of peace treaty between the United States of America and Japan, aboard the USS Missouri.[12] [13]

Professional associations.

References

  1. ^ "31 Mar 1967, Page 24 - The Morning Herald at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  2. ^ "29 Jul 1955, Page 5 - The Pittsburgh Press at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  3. ^ "15 May 1918, 5 - The Guardian at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  4. ^ "1930 United States Federal Census". 1930. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  5. ^ "ALLDERDICE BOY'S ARTWORKS SHOWN Paintings,' Sketches And Sculpture in Exhibit". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 10 June 1936. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
  6. ^ a b "History - CMU - Carnegie Mellon University". www.cmu.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-16.
  7. ^ "6 Apr 1956, Page 6 - The Journal News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  8. ^ U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010
  9. ^ a b Hagy, Robert, R. "7 Jul 1942, Page 19 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-03. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ a b Ayer, Carolyn (June 4, 1967). "Skowhegan Art School Ready for 22d Season". The Boston Sunday Globe. p. 163. Retrieved January 24, 2019. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)
  11. ^ "26 May 1946, Page 34 - The Philadelphia Inquirer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  12. ^ a b "They Drew Fire - Combat Artists of World War II". PBS. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  13. ^ a b c "20 Jan 1955, Page 6 - The Journal News at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  14. ^ "Images of Post World War II Japan". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  15. ^ "2 Sep 1945, 2 - The Los Angeles Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-11.
  16. ^ New York Times 1997 Aug 8 Simon obituary
  17. ^ a b "NEW YORK | Worldwide Plaza | 778 FT / 237 M | 49 FLOORS | 1989 - SkyscraperPage Forum". forum.skyscraperpage.com. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  18. ^ Tom, Long. "6 Aug 1997, 59 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-13. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  19. ^ Dobrzynski, Judith H. (1997-08-08). "Sidney Simon, Sculptor, 80; Founded School". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  20. ^ "11 Nov 2012, T2 - The Record at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  21. ^ "Exhibition here by Sidney Simon to open Monday". The Morning Herald. 31 Mar 1967. Retrieved 14 Jan 2019.
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