Avard Fairbanks
Encyclopedia
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks (1897 Provo, Utah
– 1987) was a prolific 20th century American sculptor. Three of his sculptures are in the United States Capitol
, and the state capitols in both Utah
and Wyoming
, as well as numerous other locations, also have his works. Possibly his most well-known artistic contribution was designing the ram
symbol for Dodge
.
Fairbanks studied in at the Art Students League of New York
beginning at age 13 and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
in the atelier of Jean Antoine Injalbert
beginning at age 17. Fairbanks received his bachelor's degree from Yale University
and his master's degree from the University of Washington
. For three years Fairbanks studied on a Guggenheim Fellowship
in Florence, Italy. He got his Ph.D. in anatomy from the University of Michigan
. He was also a professor of sculpture at the University of Michigan.
, who was an artist and art professor. His mother, Lilly Annetta Huish, died about a year after he was born. She was a cousin of Orson Pratt Huish
.
Avard's brother J. Leo Fairbanks was also an artist, and helped Fairbanks start sculpting as a teenager.
While Fairbanks was living in Ann Arbor
, he served for a time as the president of the branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that city.
Among Fairbanks' children is Jonathan Leo Fairbanks
, who was curator of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in the early 1990s.
s for the Laie Hawaii Temple
. It was during this time that he married Beatrice Maude Fox in Honolulu, Hawaii
. She was a native of Salt Lake City
whom he had met in Utah and convinced to come join him in Hawaii so they could marry. This would not be Fairbanks' last connection with temples. The statues of the Angel Moroni on the Washington D.C. Temple
, the Jordan River Utah Temple
, Seattle Washington Temple
and the São Paulo Brazil Temple
are all Fairbanks' work.
Many of the sculptures on Temple Square
in Salt Lake City are by Fairbanks.
For a time in the 1920s Fairbanks was a member of the faculty of the University of Oregon
. It was while here that he made his Oregon Trail
sculpture.
Fairbanks later became a professor at the University of Utah
.
He did a sculpture of the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood
for the Mormon Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair
.
Although most of his later work was free-standing sculptures, Fairbanks did return to the frieze when he made some for the Harold B. Lee Library
on Brigham Young University
campus.
Fairbanks made a statue of Lycurgus that led to his being knighted by King Paul of Greece
. He has also done multiple statues of Abraham Lincoln
and George Washington
.
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
– 1987) was a prolific 20th century American sculptor. Three of his sculptures are in the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
, and the state capitols in both Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, as well as numerous other locations, also have his works. Possibly his most well-known artistic contribution was designing the ram
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by the Chrysler Group LLC. As of late 2010, it has been sold under the Ram Trucks brand. Previously, Ram was part of the Dodge lineup of light trucks...
symbol for Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
.
Fairbanks studied in at the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
beginning at age 13 and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
in the atelier of Jean Antoine Injalbert
Jean Antoine Injalbert
Jean Antoine Injalbert was a much-decorated French sculptor, born at Béziers.- Life :The son of a stonemason, Injalbert was a pupil of Augustin-Alexandre Dumont and won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1874. At the Exposition Universelle of 1889 he won the Grand Prix, and in 1900 was a member of...
beginning at age 17. Fairbanks received his bachelor's degree from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and his master's degree from the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. For three years Fairbanks studied on a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
in Florence, Italy. He got his Ph.D. in anatomy from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He was also a professor of sculpture at the University of Michigan.
Family
His father was John B. FairbanksJohn B. Fairbanks
John B Fairbanks was a prominent Latter-day Saint artist and the progenitor of many other Utah artists.-Biography:...
, who was an artist and art professor. His mother, Lilly Annetta Huish, died about a year after he was born. She was a cousin of Orson Pratt Huish
Orson Pratt Huish
Orson Pratt Huish was a Latter Day Saint hymnwriter. He wrote the words and music to "Come Unto Jesus", as well as a few other hymns found in the 1985 English edition of the hymnal of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
.
Avard's brother J. Leo Fairbanks was also an artist, and helped Fairbanks start sculpting as a teenager.
While Fairbanks was living in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, he served for a time as the president of the branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that city.
Among Fairbanks' children is Jonathan Leo Fairbanks
Jonathan Leo Fairbanks
Jonathan Leo Fairbanks is an American artist and expert of American arts and antiques. Fairbanks created the American decorative arts and sculpture department at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and served as the department’s Curator from 1970-1999.Fairbanks is the son of the American sculptor,...
, who was curator of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in the early 1990s.
Works
In 1918, Avard worked with his brother J. Leo Fairbanks on friezeFrieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
s for the Laie Hawaii Temple
Laie Hawaii Temple
Laie Hawaii Temple is a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located on the northeast shore of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The temple sits on a small hill a half-mile from the Pacific Ocean in the town of Lāie, from Honolulu...
. It was during this time that he married Beatrice Maude Fox in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. She was a native of Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
whom he had met in Utah and convinced to come join him in Hawaii so they could marry. This would not be Fairbanks' last connection with temples. The statues of the Angel Moroni on the Washington D.C. Temple
Washington D.C. Temple
The Washington D.C. Temple is the 18th constructed and 16th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is located in Kensington, Maryland, USA, near the Capital Beltway just north of Washington, D.C...
, the Jordan River Utah Temple
Jordan River Utah Temple
The Jordan River Utah Temple is the 20th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in South Jordan, Utah, it was built with a modern single-spire design....
, Seattle Washington Temple
Seattle Washington Temple
The Seattle Washington Temple is the 21st constructed and 19th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the city of Bellevue, Washington it has a modern single-spire design...
and the São Paulo Brazil Temple
São Paulo Brazil Temple
The São Paulo Brazil Temple is the 19th constructed and 17th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Located in the Brazilian city of São Paulo, it was the first LDS temple built in South America, and also the first temple to use the single story, single spire design...
are all Fairbanks' work.
Many of the sculptures on Temple Square
Temple Square
Temple Square is a ten acre complex located in the center of Salt Lake City, Utah, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . In recent years, the usage of the name has gradually changed to include several other church facilities immediately adjacent to Temple Square...
in Salt Lake City are by Fairbanks.
For a time in the 1920s Fairbanks was a member of the faculty of the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
. It was while here that he made his Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
sculpture.
Fairbanks later became a professor at the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
.
He did a sculpture of the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood
Melchizedek priesthood
The Melchizedek priesthood is the greater of the two orders of priesthood recognized in Mormonism. The others are the Aaronic priesthood and the rarely recognized Patriarchal priesthood...
for the Mormon Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
.
Although most of his later work was free-standing sculptures, Fairbanks did return to the frieze when he made some for the Harold B. Lee Library
Harold B. Lee Library
The Harold B. Lee Library , located in Provo, Utah, is the main academic library of Brigham Young University, the largest religious and second-largest private university in the United States. The library has approximately of shelving for the more than 6 million items in its various collections, as...
on Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
campus.
Fairbanks made a statue of Lycurgus that led to his being knighted by King Paul of Greece
Paul of Greece
Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....
. He has also done multiple statues of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.