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DANIEL CHESTER FRENCH: AMERICAN SCULPTOR
A film by Eduardo Montes-Bradley, Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor, explores the formative years and contributions to public works of art of the artist behind the Minuteman and the Lincoln Memorial. The documentary, written and directed by Eduardo Montes-Bradley relies on the expertise of French scholars Michael Richman, Dan Preston, Harold Holzer, and Thayer Tolles, among other distinguished artists and art critics.
NATIONAL SCULTPURE SOCIETY: NSS CONNECTION - “TALENTED DAUGHTER OF A FAMOUS FATHER”
Margaret French Cresson was Daniel Chester French’s only child who not only inherited Chesterwood but also her father’s artistic talent. Margaret’s career as an accomplished sculptor is featured in a talk by Chesterwood’s Curatorial Researcher, Dana Pilson, presented to members of the National Sculpture Society on July 14, 2021.
The seated Lincoln model in the studio at Chesterwood
WGBH BOSTON “OPen Studio” with jared bowen
“Open Studio with Jared Bowen: Discover Chesterwood”
89.7 WGBH/NPR, August 7, 2019
French biographer Harold Holzer at Chesterwood looking at a portrait of French by Benjamin C. Porter ca. 1876, photo credit Nancy Eve Cohen/NEPR
New England public radio
“Studio in the Berkshires fostered public art that inspires, even a century later” by Nancy Eve Cohen, NEPR, March 27, 2019 - An interview with Executive Director, Donna Hassler and the author of Daniel Chester French’s biography, Harold Holzer.
The view of the Studio from the garden, photo credit Michael Lavin Flower
WCVB TV - ABC BOSTON CHANNEL 5: CHRONICLE
“Inspiration from the Berkshire Hills” by Ellen Fleming, WCVB5: Chronicle, September 30, 2019
Portrait of Daniel Chester French by Jan Johansen, 1926
THE SCULPTOR'S FUNERAL podcast:
hosted by jason arkles, a practicing sculptor living and working in florence, italy
This podcast is dedicated to strengthening the ties between today’s figurative sculptors and the sculptors of ages past. Art history, interviews, discussions on techniques and practices, tools and materials, and more. Episode 70 focuses on several key works by Daniel Chester French and Episode 71 focuses exclusively on the making of the Lincoln Memorial.
The Melvin Memorial, Concord, Massachusetts
Memorial Day with the Concord Museum
Executive Director of the Concord Museum, Tom Putnam, in conversation with Lincoln scholar and Daniel Chester French biographer, Harold Holzer. Holzer explains the origins of the Melvin Memorial and shares insights into French’s personal and professional life.
Africa, US Customs House, NYC
The Four Continents: A Commission of Daniel Chester French, A Discussion with Harold Holzer
In keeping with the current conversation around public sculpture, monuments, and memorials,, historian Harold Holzer discusses the context, as well as the development and sculpting of the Four Continents Statues of the U.S. Custom House in New York City. Holzer will discuss Daniel Chester French’s design as representative of 20th century America, his work with the Piccirilli sculptors, and the influence of Cass Gilbert, the building's architect, on the Statues. Presented by the National Archives Foundation, streamed November 9, 2020
The Four Continents flank the entrance to the US Customs House, NYC
The Four Continents: An Open Dialogue
We are at a moment in our national history when we are reckoning with the ways monuments hold public space and the ideas, ideologies, and values that they bring with them into those public spaces. Christine Baron, Columbia University, will moderate a discussion between Michele Cohen, Curator for the Architect of the Capitol, and Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, about the Four Continents statues at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in New York City. Presented by the National Archives Foundation, streamed December 7, 2020