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Fred Press, American Art Deco, Painted Plaster Bust of a Faun, ca. 1930s

Name: Fred Press, American Art Deco, Painted Plaster Bust of a Faun, ca. 1930s
Brand: Fred Press
Price: 1900 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Signed ‘Fred Press’ on back FRED PRESS (American, 1919 – 2012) was born to Samuel and Rose Press, who emigrated from Russia in the early 1900’s. He was the fourth of five children. He was married to Alice Bernadette for over 60 years and they had three children, David, Peter and Christopher. At an early age Fred showed his sculpting prowess as the Ivory Soap contest winner in the early 1930’s. During his contemporary stage, he created numerous sculptures with bold design choices and unique subject matter. Fred’s sculptures reflect both historically significant figures and time periods but he also showed a more fanciful side with sculptures depicting mythical folklore using the likeness of some of his relatives. His subject matter also reflected the people and cultures he came into contact with while a member of the Sixth Air Force Division stationed in the Panama Canal Zone during the Second World War. Many of his sculptures evolved from his drawings and sketches with several pieces having existing paintings and drawings that reflect similar themes. His sculpting artistry culminated in being commissioned to create two bronze reliefs that were cast in 1992 and are part of the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. As a teenager, he won the Proctor and Gamble Soap Sculpture annual awards for four years in the 1930’s. He studied, and later taught at the Vesper George School of Art in Boston. He was known primarily for his sculptures that were reproduced and distributed by Contemporary Arts, Inc. founded in the late 1930’s by him and his brother. His paintings have exhibited in many one-man shows and group competitions bringing critical acclaim and prizes leading to his paintings being acquired by private collections as well as at notable institutions such as Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Worcester Art Museum and others. One of his sculptures won first prize at a competition at the Delgado Museum of Art in New Orleans. In the 1990’s, he was commissioned by the United States Navy to create two of the 24 bronze reliefs at the Naval Memorial in Washington, DC, where they are on display. Early in the 1950’s, he moved to New York City and for the next three decades, as chief designer and executive Vice President of Rubel and Company, revolutionized the giftware industry on New York’s Fifth Avenue. The Museum of Modern Art, NY awarded him a good design award for his numerous multi-media products. During the Second World War he was a member of the Sixth Air Force stationed in the Panama Canal Zone and he rose to the rank of Tech Sgt. as the Managing Editor of the Caribbean Breeze, the official publication of the group. This assignment resulted in writing many articles to help educate the soldiers to the surrounding area’s culture and history. Much of the knowledge gained during this time was used later as subjects of paintings and sculptures. He also later wrote articles for the Christian Science Monitor. In 1962 he wrote “Sculpture at your Fingertips” and in the 2000’s wrote Remembering The Caribbean Breeze and John Paul Jones. As part of his literary contributions were illustrations for a number of books. Fred Press died on August 3, 2012 at the age of 92.

Creator:

Fred Press (Sculptor)

Dimensions:

Height: 12.75 in (32.39 cm)Width: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)Depth: 4.5 in (11.43 cm)

Style:

Art Deco (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Plaster,Painted

Place of Origin:

United States

Period:

1930-1939

Date of Manufacture:

circa 1930

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. We make our best effort to provide a fair and descriptive condition report. Please examine photos attentively, as they are an integral part of the description. Send us a message to request more details or discuss price.

Seller Location:

New York, NY

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU2819330223752

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