Copyright of the artist%2C artist%27s estate%2C or assignees
One of a pair of doors, c. 1930
Oscar Bachexpand_more
Steel, copper, and bronze over wood coreexpand_more
The Christina N. and Swan J. Turnblad Memorial Fundexpand_more 71.51.2
Not on Viewexpand_more
Born in Germany, Oscar Bach's precocious talent won him critical recognition by twenty years of age for his design and execution of the decorative metalwork for the Berlin City Hall. Although success in his homeland seemed assured, Bach immigrated to the United States in 1914 and quickly established a thriving business that provided decorative elements in a variety of traditional European styles for the residences of a distinguished, international clientele. His complex designs and technical virtuosity also won him commissions for decorative designs in the Modernist style for public buildings such as the Empire State and the Chrysler in New York City.
In these doors for a building as yet unidentified, Bach employed motifs of heavy industry to achieve - through highly-stylized silver-plated figures on bronze roundels set in a field of steel - a heroic tribute to the aspirations of the Machine Age.
Details
- Title
- One of a pair of doors
- Artist Life
- American (born Germany), 1884–1957
- Role
- Sculptor
- Accession Number
- 71.51.2
- Curator Approved
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Copyright of the artist, artist's estate, or assignees