Augustus Saint-Gaudens: American Sculptor of the Gilded Age

The sculpture of Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) called the "American Michelangelo " has often been compared to the magnificent works of the Renaissance. As an advocate of new ideas and a new approach to sculpture Saint-Gaudens played a preeminent role in developing Americas cultural life and revitalizing the art of sculpture in the modern age. The son of immigrants Saint-Gaudens studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France and spent eight years in Europe where he found a freer and bolder form of artistic expression. On his return to the United States in 1875 he used his European training to create a new American style incorporating simplicity of subject realism of form and strength of emotion. In addition to his monuments his works also included interior decoration for some of the great houses of the Gilded Age portrait reliefs and medals and U.S. coinage.