Robert Berks
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Robert Berks | |
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| Born | Robert S. Berks April 26, 1922 |
| Died | May 16, 2011 (aged 89) |
| Occupation | sculptor |
| Known for | John Fitzgerald Kennedy bust |
| Spouse | Dorothy "Tod" Berks |
| Children | Barbara Berks Alexandra Berks Victoria Berks |
Robert Berks (April 26, 1922 – May 16, 2011) was an American sculptor, industrial designer and planner. He created hundreds of bronze sculptures and monuments including the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, and the Albert Einstein Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Life
He grew up in Hecht House, Boston. He studied at the Boston Museum.[1] In 1953, he married Dorothy “Tod” Berks.[2]
One of Berks's most famous works is a bust of former President John Fitzgerald Kennedy that can be found in the Grand Foyer of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. [2]
A copy of his Bust of Abraham Lincoln was displayed in the Oval Office during the Clinton Administration. Another of his statues, that of the Swedish botanist and physician Carl Linnaeus, can be found in the Heritage Garden of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois. In 2005, he donated a sculpture of Einstein to Princeton University.[3] In 2007, he made a sculpture of Fred Rogers for Pittsburgh.[4]
He died on May 16th 2011 at the age of 89 from natural causes.[2]
Public monuments
- Louis Dembitz Brandeis Sculpture, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1956[5]
- Abraham Lincoln Bust, 1958
- Richard Caliguiri Memorial, Pittsburgh City-County Building Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
- Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, Department of Justice Washington, DC, 1969
- Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial, Lincoln Park, Washington, DC, 1974
- Albert Einstein Memorial, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC, 1979
- John F. Kennedy Bust, Kennedy Center Washington, DC, 1971
- Carl Linnaeus Monument, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois, 1983
- Reinhold Niebuhr Memorial, Elmhurst College, 1997
- Fred Rogers Memorial, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2009
References
- ^ Duncan, Erika (April 14, 1996). "ENCOUNTERS;A Sculptor Whose Model Is History". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Tim (May 17, 2011). "Bob Berks, Orient artist who sculpted images of presidents and popes, dies at 89". The Suffolk Times. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
- ^ Braun, Candace. "Sculptor Donates Planned Einstein Bust to Princeton". Town Topics. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ McNulty, Timothy (May 23, 2007). "A statue of Mister Rogers will adorn the North Shore". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ "Memorial to Brandeis: 9-Foot Statue of Justice to Be Unveiled Nov. 13". The New York Times. April 15, 1956. p. 39.
Sources
- James M. Goode: Outdoor Sculpture of Washington D.C. Smithsonian Institution Press, 1979, ISBN 0-87474-138-6
External links
- Photos of Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial
- Photos of Albert Einstein Memorial
- Biographies in bronze - Robert Berks Studios
- Robert Berks: Albert Einstein
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