NHPTV Special Productions - New Hampshire Public Television

Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master of American Sculpture

The serenely beautiful Diana

There are no scheduled airdates for this program.

Although millions see Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ heroic-size public monuments in museums and public places, few know the man behind the art. AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS: MASTER OF AMERICAN SCULPTURE is a feature documentary film on the life and work of the great American sculptor (1848-1907). Trained in Paris and Rome, Saint-Gaudens is considered America’s premier sculptor of the 19th and early 20th centuries.

During a career that spanned three decades, Saint-Gaudens created nearly 150 works of art, including a number of major public monuments to heroes of the Civil War. The film reintroduces Saint-Gaudens to the American public and to make people aware of his significant contributions to American art and culture. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Saint-Gaudens to redesign the American coinage.

AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS: MASTER OF AMERICAN SCULPTURE traces Saint-Gaudens’ life, both personally and professionally, from his birth in Dublin, Ireland to his work in New York City and Paris to his death in Cornish, New Hampshire. The film discusses how Saint-Gaudens’ projects ranged in scope from large public monuments and portraits in relief to cameos and gold coins. The story of his personal life is woven around in-depth studies of six of his major works of art including the contemplative Standing Lincoln in Lincoln Park Chicago, the intensely moving Shaw Memorial on Boston Common, the powerful Sherman Monument in Central Park, the serenely beautiful Diana now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the stirring Adams Memorial in Washington DC.

The film premiered in 2007 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, with screenings at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Montreal International Film Festival for the Arts, and Dartmouth College, Sanderson’s alma mater.

The Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish, NH (www.nps.gov/saga) preserves Saint-Gaudens’ home, studios and gardens. It features over 100 of his artworks, from heroic public monuments to expressive portrait reliefs, and the gold coins which changed the look of American coinage.

PAUL SANDERSON is the Producer/Director/Writer and Director of Photography of AUGUSTUS SAINT-GAUDENS: MASTER OF AMERICAN SCULPTURE. The founder of Our Town Films, Paul Sanderson has enjoyed success in creating television documentaries and educational programs and has won over 30 national awards, including seven CINE Golden Eagles. His programs have appeared on NBC, PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E Network, The History Channel and CNBC.
paul@ourtownfilms.com