Samuel Rabin (artist) facts for kids
At 1928 Olympics
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Birth name | Samuel Rabinowich | |||||||||||||
| Born | 20 June 1903 Cheetham, North Manchester |
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| Died | 20 December 1991 (aged 88) Poole, Dorset, England (GBR) |
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| Education | Manchester Municipal School of Art Slade School of Fine Art |
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| Occupation | Sculptor, Artist, Art Teacher, Singer, Film Actor, Boxer | |||||||||||||
| Spouse(s) | Ida Lilly Shuster, Frances Kaye | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Samuel (Sam) Rabin (born June 20, 1903 – died December 20, 1991) was a very talented English person. He was a sculptor, artist, and art teacher. He also worked as a singer and film actor. On top of all that, he was a boxer and a wrestler! In 1928, he even won a bronze medal at the Olympics for wrestling.
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Sam Rabin's Early Life and Family
Sam Rabin was born Samuel Rabinovitch on June 20, 1903. He was born in Cheetham, a part of Manchester, England. His parents, Jacob and Sarah, came from a place called Vitebsk, which is now in Belarus. They moved to England before Sam was born. His father made hats, and his mother put together jewelry.
When Sam was a child, his family moved to Salford. His parents saw that he was good at drawing and encouraged him. This support helped him start his amazing journey in art.
Sam Rabin's Art Education
In 1914, when Sam was just 11 years old, he won a special scholarship. This allowed him to attend the Manchester Municipal School of Art. He was the youngest student ever to go there! He learned drawing from a French artist named Adolphe Valette.
Later, in 1921, Sam moved to London to continue his art studies. He went to the Slade School of Fine Art until 1924. After finishing his studies there, he traveled to Paris. In Paris, he met a sculptor named Charles Despiau, who greatly influenced his work.
Sam Rabin's Family Life
Around 1935, Sam Rabin married Ida Lily Shuster. They later divorced. In 1956, he married Frances Kaye. Sam and Frances had one son together, named David, who was born in 1960.
Sam Rabin's Diverse Career Paths
Sam Rabin had many different careers throughout his life. He was known for being a sculptor, a wrestler, a singer, and an art teacher. He was truly a person of many talents!
Sam Rabin as a Sculptor
Sam Rabin was a very careful artist. He often destroyed his own sculptures if he felt they were not perfect. Because of this, not many of his early sculptures are known today.
In 1928, he got an important job from an architect named Charles Holden. Sam was asked to carve a sculpture called West Wind. This sculpture was one of eight figures representing the four winds for a building in London. He carved some of it right on the building itself!
In 1930, he made two more sculptures for the Daily Telegraph building. These were decorative masks called The Past and The Future. He carved these directly onto the building from a scaffold. Even though his sculptures were well-liked, Sam found it hard to earn enough money as a sculptor. So, he decided to try another career: wrestling.
Sam Rabin as an Olympic Wrestler
Sam Rabin was a very strong person. To help pay for his art studies, he used to box and wrestle as a hobby. He became very good at it!
At the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Sam won a bronze medal. This was for freestyle wrestling in the middleweight group. After the Olympics, he became a professional wrestler in 1932. He wrestled under fun names like Rabin the Cat and Sam Radnor the Hebrew Jew. He even acted as a wrestler in a movie called The Private Life of Henry VIII in 1933. He also played a prize-fighter in The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1934.
Sam Rabin as a Singer
During World War II, Sam Rabin used his singing talent to entertain soldiers. He sang at British Army camps to cheer them up. After the war, he often sang on a BBC radio show called “Time for Music.”
Even though he never had formal music lessons, Sam was a talented baritone singer. A baritone is a type of male singing voice. He even tried out for a famous opera house in Italy called La Scala in 1946.
Sam Rabin as an Art Teacher
In 1949, Sam Rabin started teaching drawing at Goldsmiths College of Art in London. Here, he became famous for drawing and painting boxers. He taught his students in a very disciplined way, often showing them how to do things himself.
Some of his famous students included Mary Quant and Bridget Riley. He left Goldsmiths in 1965 because he had different ideas about teaching. He then taught at Bournemouth College of Art until 1985. After that, he taught at Poole Art Centre until shortly before he passed away.
When Did Sam Rabin Pass Away?
Sam Rabin passed away on December 20, 1991, in Poole, England. A private memorial service was held for him in January 1992.
Sam Rabin's Artistic Works
Not many of Sam Rabin's early artworks still exist. This is because he was very critical of his own work and often destroyed pieces he didn't like. Some of his art was also accidentally destroyed during the war.
Most of the art we have today are drawings he made to show his students. He also made many colorful boxing scenes using thick wax crayons that he made himself. Sam Rabin didn't show his work very often. However, he did have a special show of his art at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in 1985–86. He also had shows at other art galleries.
Today, you can find his work in several important collections. These include the British Museum, the Government Art Collection, and the Musée National du Sport in Paris.
See also
- List of select Jewish wrestlers
