Elisabeth Gordon Chandler facts for kids

Elisabeth Gordon Chandler (born June 10, 1913, died November 29, 2006) was an amazing American artist. She was a talented sculptor, meaning she created art by shaping materials. She was also an educator, which means she was a teacher. Elisabeth Chandler is best known for starting the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts.

Early Life and Artistic Journey

Elisabeth Gordon Chandler was born in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was young, she first learned to play the harp. By the time she was eighteen, she was already performing music professionally.

However, as she grew older, she decided to follow a different path. She chose to work in the visual arts, especially sculpture. She moved to New York City to study. There, she learned sculpture from a teacher named Edmondo Quattocchi. She also studied anatomy, which is the study of the human body, with Robert Beverly Hale at the Art Students League of New York.

Creating Famous Sculptures

Elisabeth Chandler was very good at making sculptures. She was especially skilled at creating portraits, which are art pieces showing a person's face. She made many busts, which are sculptures of a person's head and shoulders.

Her sculptures captured the true look of many famous people. These included Nobel Prize winner Albert A. Michelson. She also sculpted important government figures like United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal. She even created busts of Supreme Court Chief Justices such as John Jay, Charles Evans Hughes, and Harlan Fiske Stone.

Other famous people she sculpted were actor Charles Coburn and artists James Montgomery Flagg and Alphaeus Philemon Cole. She also made a sculpture of politician Adlai Stevenson II.

Awards and Recognitions

Elisabeth Chandler received many honors for her artwork. Her very first award came in 1945. Her bronze sculpture called Victory won first prize in a competition. This competition was for the Brooklyn War Memorial.

Later, she won awards from important art groups. These included the National Academy of Design and the National Sculpture Society. She also received the Governor's Art Award from the State of Connecticut. She was given an Honorary Doctorate from St. Joseph's College in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Her sculptures can be found in famous places around the world. You can see her work in St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Her art is also in the British Museum in London. Other places include Columbia University School of Law and Princeton University.

Founding the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts

In 1962, Elisabeth Chandler moved from New York City to Old Lyme, Connecticut. She had a big dream to help other artists. In 1976, she made that dream come true. She founded the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts.

She started this school to teach students traditional art. This means teaching art in classic ways, focusing on drawing and sculpting from real life. She was not just the founder; she also taught sculpture there. She was a trustee of the college until she passed away.

In 1973, she became an Associate member of the National Academy of Design. This is a very respected group of artists. She became a full member in 1979.

Personal Life

Elisabeth Chandler was married twice. Her first husband was Robert Kirtland Chandler. Later, she married another sculptor named Laci de Gerenday. She used her first husband's last name, Chandler, for her professional art career. However, in her social life, she was known as Elisabeth de Gerenday.

Today, there is a special nature preserve in Old Lyme that honors her memory. Part of this preserve is known by her social name.