Hephaestus
Leonard Baskin, Hephaestus, 1963, wood, Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Anonymous Donors, © The Estate of Leonard Baskin; Courtesy Galerie St. Etienne, New York, 69.36
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Hephaestus
- Artist
- Date
1963
- Medium
wood
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
46 1/4 in x 21 in x 21 in
- Inscriptions & Markings
signature/maker's mark: signed and dated (carved on back of base at left): L.b. '63
- Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary Art
- Category
Sculpture
- Object Type
sculpture
- Culture
American
- Credit Line
Museum Purchase: Funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Anonymous Donors
- Accession Number
69.36
- Copyright
© The Estate of Leonard Baskin; Courtesy Galerie St. Etienne, New York
- Terms
The son of a rabbi, Leonard Baskin’s education at yeshiva (Jewish religious college) had a profound effect on his aesthetic. Besides sculpting, he was a writer, book illustrator, water-colorist, and print-maker.
Baskin became intrigued by Greek history, philosophy, and mythology at an early age and this study inspired many of his sculptures and paintings, including Hephaestus. The son of Zeus and Hera, Hephaestus was the god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, and the art of sculpture.
- Exhibitions
1995 Hard Choices: Works from the Permanent Collection Portland Art Museum
2007 Clear Cut Portland Art Museum
2015 Paradise: Fallen Fruit Portland Art Museum