J. Alden Weir
Olin Levi Warner American
Cast by Tiffany & Co.
Not on view
Warner and the painter J. Alden Weir (1852–1919) trained in Paris, but they likely met by 1877 in New York when the two men were elected charter members of the Society of American Artists. In 1880, they both occupied studios in the Benedick Building on Washington Square, a location for bachelor artists, and they possibly agreed to sit for each other as a demonstration of artistic camaraderie. Here, Warner captures Weir’s youthful vigor—his wavy hair, defined features, and alert gaze. When exhibited at the Society of American Artists in the same year, the bust was hailed for assuredly melding a classical artistic lineage with a modern French Beaux-Arts naturalism.
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