Louis Slobodkin (February 19, 1903 – May 8, 1975) was an American sculptor, writer, and illustrator of numerous children's books.

Life

Slobodkin was born on February 19, 1903, in Albany, New York. He attended the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design in New York City from 1918 to 1923. He worked as an elevator operator, a dishwasher, and factory worker.[1][2]

Slobodkin married Florence Gershkowitz, a poet and children's book writer in 1927. They had two children, Lawrence and Michael. He died of heart failure at his home in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida on May 8, 1975.[3][4]

Career

Teaching himself all manner of art from an early age, Slobodkin began to sculpt art at the age of ten. During the early 1930s he served as an assistant to Malvina Hoffman while she was creating the sculptures that would constitute the exhibition The Races of Mankind at the Field Museum of Natural History.[5]

In 1938 his statue "Abraham Lincoln, Rail Fence Mender" was displayed at the 1939–1940 World's Fair. When Slobodkin went to see it with his wife, the statue had been removed. Varying excuses were given as to why, including that it was too large for the space and casting shadows, and that a woman was offended by the sight of it. Fair Commissioner Edward J. Flynn eventually confirmed that the statue had been destroyed. Slobodkin waged a press campaign which resulted in him being given a new commission to recast the statue in bronze. The new version was placed in the Headquarters Building of the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC, and a second bronze cast is in Lincoln, Nebraska, funded partially by the Sheldon Museum and partially by a community "Pennies for Lincoln" fundraising campaign.[6][7][8]

Slobodkin did not immediately become involved with children's literature. He illustrated his first children's book in 1941, The Moffats, by his friend, Eleanor Estes, with whom he collaborated on five more books. In 1944, he won the Caldecott Medal for illustrating Many Moons, written by James Thurber.[9] He wrote and illustrated the popular book series The Space Ship Under the Apple Tree. He was also the author of Sculpture; Principles and Practice.[10]

During his career, Slobodkin illustrated nearly 90 books, 50 of which he also wrote. He collaborated with his wife on five books from 1958 to 1969, including The Cowboy Twins (1960). Slobodkin's last book was Wilbur The Warrior, published in 1972.

Selected works

Children's books

As author and illustrator:

Autobiographical

Non-fiction

As illustrator

References

  1. ^ Gilbert, Dorothy B., ‘’Who’s Who in American Art 1962’’, R.R. Bowker Company, New York, 1962
  2. ^ Slobodkin, Louis. "How? When? Where?", Child Life. May, 1947. 18.
  3. ^ "Sculptor, Author Louis Slobodkin". Miami Herald. May 9, 1975. p. 60. Retrieved April 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Louis Slobodkin, Sculptor, Is Dead at 72", New York Times. May 9, 1975.
  5. ^ Kinkel, Marianne, ‘’Races of Mankind: The Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman’’, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL, 2011 pp. 73-75
  6. ^ Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection (1939). Statues of Abraham Lincoln: Louis Slobodkin.
  7. ^ Reid, Carol. "Statue of Limitations". Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  8. ^ Jacob, Kathryn Allamong (1998). Testament to Union: Civil War Monuments in Washington, Pt. 3. JHU Press. p. 115. ISBN 9780801858611."Rail Joiner Statue by Louis Slobodkin". City of Lincoln Nebraska. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  9. ^ "Caldecott Medal Winners, 1938 - Present | Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)". Archived from the original on October 28, 2011.
  10. ^ Slobodkin, Louis. Sculpture; Principles and Practice. World Publishing Company, 1949.

External links

Archives

Bibliography

General information

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