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Artist-Entrepreneurs

Buy Artist-Entrepreneurs: Saint Gaudens, MacMonnies, and Parrish from Amazon in print or as a Kindle book, or from other stores via Ingram (print ISBN 9780974589985, ebook 978-1-0882-9805-3).

During the late 19th and early 20th century, the most capitalistic era in American history, it was considered normal that the immense popularity of Augustus Saint Gaudens, Frederick MacMonnies and Maxfield Parrish should earn them substantial wealth. Saint Gaudens was (and still is) regarded as America’s foremost sculptor. MacMonnies’ annual income in the mid-1890s reputedly reached $300,000 (about $7.5 million today). In 1925, one of every four American homes had a print of Maxfield Parrish’s Daybreak. These artist-entrepreneurs flourished by exceptional ability, hard work, and savvy marketing.

Artist-Entrepreneurs (an edited version of a talk given in 2018) gives a brief overview of the life and notable works of Saint Gaudens, MacMonnies, and Parrish, within the historical, political, and economic framework of the period between the Civil War and World War I. If you enjoy hearing about intelligent, hard-working, innovative, highly skilled and profit-minded men making piles of money by creating beautiful works of art, then this book is for you. It runs to 80 pages, with 172 illustrations (most in color). A PDF of the opening pages is here.

More

  • If you enjoy the sense of life of artists such as Saint Gaudens, MacMonnies, and Parrish, check out the novels and short stories of Henry Kitchell Webster, whose life overlaps with theirs. Details in this post.
  • In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon print and Kindle formats.
  • Want wonderful art delivered weekly to your inbox? Check out my free Sunday Recommendations list and rewards for recurring support: details here.