author
Lorado Taft
1860–1936
A leading figure in American sculpture, he helped shape the public art of Chicago and the wider Midwest with grand monuments, fountains, and memorials. He was also a lively teacher and writer who brought art history and sculpture to a broad audience.
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About the author
Born in Elmwood, Illinois, in 1860, Lorado Taft became one of the best-known American sculptors of his generation. He studied at the University of Illinois and then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris before building his career in Chicago, where he spent decades working as a sculptor, educator, and lecturer.
Taft is especially remembered for large public works in a Beaux-Arts and American Renaissance style. Among his most noted works are Fountain of Time, The Eternal Indian (often called the Black Hawk statue), Fountain of the Great Lakes, and the Alma Mater sculpture at the University of Illinois. His art often aimed for grandeur and symbolism, making it well suited to civic spaces and memorial settings.
Beyond sculpture, he had a strong influence as a teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago and as a writer on American art. His books and lectures helped introduce many readers and students to the history of sculpture, extending his impact far beyond the works he carved and designed. He died in 1936, leaving behind a major legacy in American public art.