Sculptors
From The Encyclopedia of Mormonism
See this page in the original 1992 publication.
Author: Oman, Richard G.
The earliest LDS sculptors were English emigrant craftsmen who provided ornamentation for the Nauvoo and pioneer temples. A temple sunstone, one of the most distinctive surviving artifacts from Nauvoo, is part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.
A tradition of creating public monuments that celebrate the history of the Latter-day Saints is now a century old. Contributors include Cyrus Dallin (1861-1944), who studied in Paris. He sculpted the angel Moroni 2 that caps the tallest tower of the Salt Lake Temple. This beaux arts sculpture has become the most recognized and copied piece in the LDS tradition. Most of Dallin's career was spent in Boston, where he sculpted John Winthrop, Paul Revere, and Massasoit. His life-sized bronze equestrian figures also grace Chicago, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Vienna.
A grandson of Brigham Young, Mahonri Young (1877-1957), also studied in Paris, where he was strongly influenced by Rodin. "This is the place" monument, which marks the entry of the pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley, is one of his major religious works, the largest sculptured monument in Utah.
Avard Fairbanks (1897-1987), who created the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Utah, is well known in the Church for his elaborate frieze around the Hawaii Temple, his statue of the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, and the winter quarters Cemetery Monument. He was knighted by King Paul of Greece after sculpting "Lycurgus the Lawgiver."
On Temple Square (Salt Lake City) stands a monument to the dramatic epic of the pioneer trek, the Mormon handcart companies, sculpted by Torlief Knaphus (1881-1965), a convert from Norway.
The Mormon Arts Festival, held at Brigham Young University since the early 1970s, has displayed religious pieces produced by Franz Johansen (1929-) and Trevor Southey (1940-) that are now in the Museum of Church History and Art. The Monument to Women sculpture garden in Nauvoo displays life-sized bronze statues of women. Most of the pieces are done by Dennis Smith (1942-), but the sculpture of Joseph and Emma Smith was created by Florence Hansen (1920-).
The last quarter of the twentieth century has produced many LDS sculptors, including some with roots in cultures that reflect the international presence of the Church. Representative sculptors are Epanaia Christy (1921-) and Mataumu Alisa (1942-) from Polynesia; Native Americans Lowell Talishoma (1950-), Oreland Joe (1958-), and Harrison Begay (1961-); Victor de la Torres (c. 1935-) of Venezuela; and Mae Cameron (n.d.) from Australia. [See also Architecture; Historical Sites; Kirtland Temple; Museums, LDS; Symbols, Cultural and Artistic.]
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