Gilbert Franklin Explained

Gilbert Franklin
Other Names:	Gil Franklin
Birth Name:	Gilbert Alfred Franklin
Birth Date:	6 June 1919
Birth Place:	Birmingham, England
Death Place:	Wellfleet, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education:	Cape Cod School of Art, Museo Nacional de Arte, American Academy in Rome
Alma Mater:	Rhode Island School of Design
Occupation:	Dean of college, sculptor, educator
Known For:	Sculpture, public art
Spouse:	Joyce Gertrude Swirsky
Children:	1

Gilbert Alfred Franklin (1919–2004) was an English-born American sculptor and educator.^[1] He was active in Providence, Rhode Island and Wellfleet, Massachusetts; and was best known for his public art sculptures.

Early life and education

Gilbert Franklin was born on June 6, 1919, in Birmingham, England, and raised in Attleboro, Massachusetts.^[2] His father was a jeweler.

Franklin's earliest coursework was at the Hawthorne School of Art (now the Cape Cod School of Art), studying under John Robinson Frazier. He attended Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), graduating with a BFA degree in 1941; as well as completing studies at the Museo Nacional de Arte (in 1942) in Mexico City; and the American Academy in Rome (in 1949). He had been a student of Waldemar Raemisch, and John Howard Benson.^[3]

Franklin was married to Joyce Gertrude (née Swirsky) and together they had one daughter, art historian Nina Franklin Berson.

Career

Franklin served on the fine arts faculty at RISD between 1942 and 1985.^[4] Two of his bronze works are prominent on the RISD campus, Orpheus Ascending (1963) and Daybreak (1968) the latter found on the "RISD beach".^[5] He had been honored as the H.M. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts; and served as a Dean of the fine arts department at RISD.^[6] Additionally he taught at San Jose State University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, and Harvard University.

After his former professor Raemisch's death in 1955, Franklin completed Raemisch's 19 figure sculpture commission for public art in Philadelphia.^[7]

In 1948, he was awarded the Rome Prize fellowship.^[8] In 1959, he won the grand prize at the Boston Arts Festival for his work, Beach Figure.^[9] Franklin was awarded the honorary title of National Academician (1991).^[10]

Franklin died at the age of 85 on October 19, 2004, in his home in Wellfleet, Massachusetts.^[11]

Public works

• Abraham Lincoln statue (1954), Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island; gift of the Henry W. Harvey Trust^[12]
• Orpheus Ascending (1963), Frazier Terrace, Rhode Island School of Design campus, Providence, Rhode Island
• Daybreak (1968), Rhode Island School of Design campus, Providence, Rhode Island
• Harry S. Truman statue (1976), Independence Square, Independence, Missouri^[13]
• U.S. Navy Memorial bas-relief (1991), U.S. Navy Memorial, Washington, DC^[14]
• Seaforms (1993), Wellfleet Public Library, Wellfleet, Massachusetts^[15]

Exhibitions

• 1993, Celebrating Long Point, group exhibition, Noel Fine Arts, Bronxville, New York^{[16] [17]}
• 2004, solo, Picture Gallery, Cornish, New Hampshire^[18]
• 2016, The Bridge at the End of the Road, solo exhibition, John Spoor Broome Library Gallery, CSU Channel Islands (CI)^[19]

External links

• Oral history interview with Gilbert A. Franklin, 1978 April 13 from Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution

Notes and References

1. Book: American Academy in Rome, American Academy in Rome Society of Fellows. The Centennial Directory of the American Academy in Rome . Kohl . Benjamin G. . Linker . Wayne A. . Kavelman . Buff Suzanne. 1995 . American Academy in Rome . 978-1-879549-02-9 . en.
2. Web site: Gilbert Franklin . 2022-03-04 . Provincetown Artist Registry.
3. Web site: September 8, 1955 . Student Completing Raemisch Sculptures . 2022-03-05 . Newspapers.com . Pasadena Independent . 28 . en.
4. 2003 . Franklin . American Craft . en . American Craft Council . 63 . 66.
5. Web site: Van Siclen . Bill . September 2, 2015 . 5 outdoor sculptures in Providence . 2022-03-04 . The Providence Journal . en-US.
6. Book: Newsletter . Supply Systems Command, Navy Department . 1991 . 8 . en . Bas-Relief At Navy Memorial Honors Supply Corps.
7. Web site: 18 August 1955 . Student is completing Raemisch sculptures . subscription . 2022-03-04 . Newspapers.com . Lebanon Daily News . 9 . en.
8. Web site: March 15, 1948 . 3 N.E. Students Win Rome Fellowships . subscription . 2022-03-05 . Newspapers.com . . 4 . en.
9. News: June 8, 1959 . SCULPTURE WINS PRIZE; Work by Gilbert Franklin Is Honored at Boston Festival . 2022-03-04 . Times Machine . . 29 . en . 0362-4331.
10. Web site: Gilbert Alfred Franklin . 2022-03-05 . National Academicians eMuseum.
11. Web site: Long . Tom . October 30, 2004 . Gilbert Franklin, sculptor noted for public works; at 85 . subscription . 2022-03-05 . Newspapers.com . The Boston Globe . 27 . en . 0743-1791.
12. Web site: Fenton . Josh . June 29, 2020 . RI's Statues - A Glowing Tribute to White Men, Animals and Very Few Others . 2022-03-05 . GoLocalProv . en.
13. Book: Library of Congress Subject Headings . Library of Congress . 2010 . 2, Edition 32 . 3435 . en.
14. Web site: Elbich . Chris . US Navy Memorial (U.S. National Park Service) . 2022-03-05 . National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior . en.
15. Web site: June 24, 1993 . Exhibit: Wellfleet Public Library . subscription . 2022-03-05 . Newspapers.com . . 122 . en.
16. News: Zimmer . William . 1993-01-24 . Artists-Cum-Beach Denizens Have Come In From the Cold . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-03-04 . 0362-4331.
17. News: Zimmer . William . 1993-01-24 . Shades of Summer in Katonah, Timeless Works in Bronxville . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-03-04 . 0362-4331.
18. Web site: May 29, 2004 . Saint-Gaudens to open May 29 . subscription . 2022-03-05 . Newspapers.com . . 9 . en.
19. Web site: Gregory . Kim Lamb . October 12, 2016 . Work of internationally-recognized American artist Gilbert Franklin opening at CI . 2022-03-04 . CSU Channel Islands.