Nessa Cohen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nessa Cohen
Born	1885 New York City
Died	16 December 1976 (aged 90–91) New York City
Alma mater	Barnard College Art Students League of New York
Occupation	Sculptor

Nessa Cohen, whose full name was Helen Nessa Cohen, was an American sculptor. She was born in New York City in 1885 and lived until December 1976. She became famous for her sculptures and even showed her art at a very important event called the International Exhibition of Modern Art in 1913.

Early Life and Education

Nessa Cohen's sculpture Sunrise, made of bronze, was shown at the 1913 International Exhibition of Modern Art.

Nessa Cohen was born on December 11, 1884, in New York City. She grew up there with her parents, Pauline and Adolph Cohen, and her older sister, Sadie. Her father was a lawyer.

Nessa loved art and decided to study sculpture. She went to Barnard College and then learned from famous sculptors like James Earle Fraser at the Art Students League. She also studied at the Cooper Union. To learn even more, she traveled to Paris, France, where she studied with artists like Despiau and Charles Malfray.

Sculpting Career

Nessa Cohen was very interested in different cultures and people. Before 1913, she received money from the American Museum of Natural History. This allowed her and other artists to travel to the southwestern United States. There, they studied people from six different Native American tribes. Nessa wanted to capture their clothing and features in her art.

One of the sculptures that came from this trip was called Sunrise. She also created a piece called Hopi Relay Runner from sketches she showed the museum to prove her skills.

Exhibitions and Recognition

Nessa Cohen's work was shown in many important art exhibitions.

• In 1913, she displayed three pieces at the famous International Exhibition of Modern Art in New York. These included two plaster sculptures, Age and Portrait, and her bronze work, Sunrise.
• Sunrise was also shown in Chicago in 1916 at the Annual American Exhibition. Other sculptures she exhibited there were The Velvet Cap, Joy, and Card tray: Hospitality.

Nessa was a member of several important art groups, including the National Sculpture Society and the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors. She even had a sculpture, Moment Musicale, in the National Sculpture Society's show in 1923. Her art was so recognized that it was part of the sculpture event in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics.

She also traveled to Italy and France, likely to find more inspiration for her art.

Later Life and Legacy

Nessa Cohen passed away in December 1976. She left a lasting gift to the art world. She donated money to the Art Students League of New York to create the Nessa Cohen Memorial Fund. This fund helps art students with their housing, education, and travel costs, allowing new artists to follow their dreams just as she did.

Selected Works

• Age, plaster
• Card tray: Hospitality
• Group of Indians of Southwestern United States, found at the American Museum of Natural History
• Joy
• Navajo Watching Women at Work
• Portrait, plaster
• Sunrise, bronze, also found in Havana, Cuba
• The Velvet Cap