Iconic Charleston Sculptor Willard Hirsch (1905-1982) Honored at Gibbs Museum of Art

In 1979, Sculptor Willard Hirsch viewed his bronze -"Stephan"at his
Gibbs Museum of Art retrospective exhibition
 curated by Martha R. Severens

Willard N. Hirsch "Charleston's Sculptor" (1905-1982) is being honored by an exhibition at the Gibbs Museum of Art and the release of a new book of his work spanning a career of over 50 years.

At the preview reception for the 2012 exhibition "Willard Hirsch: Charleston's Sculptor", Jane Elizabeth Hirsch and Jacob Alexander Hirsch, Hirsch's children, spoke about their father's lasting contributions to Charleston and it's arts community. They noted that in addition to completing numerous public and private sculptural works, Mr. Hirsch was a pioneer of fine art instruction in Charleston and founding member of the Charleston Artist Guild.

A new book "Art Is a Powerful Language  Willard Hirsch-The Man, The Artist" has been published in conjunction with the 2012 exhibition. The book, compiled by Jane Hirsch, includes essays by art historian and former Gibbs Museum of Art curator of collections Martha R. Severens, wild life painter Anne Worsham Richardson, family members, friends and students. In addition, the volume is filled with impressive, high definition photographs by Douglas Pinkerton illustrating the beauty and diversity of Mr. Hirsch's sculpture.

The book "Art Is a Powerful Language Willard Hirsch-The Man, The Artist" compiled by Jane Elizabeth Hirsch is available at the Gibbs Museum of Art Museum Store and from the publisher, HomeHouse Press.

The exhibition "Willard Hirsch: Charleston's Sculptor" is on view at the Gibbs Museum of Art 135 Meeting St. Charleston SC from September 21-December 30, 2012.

Additional essays in the blog about Willard Hirsch link here.

Tribute to Willard N Hirsch published in an article for the Preservation Society of Charleston by J Michael McLaughlin

The "Little Dancer" statue at the Children's Fountain in White Point Gardens (The Battery) is one of Charleston's most endearing landmarks but it's history (click here for more on history of statue) like that of it's creator Willard N. Hirsch remains unrecognized to many residents and visitors.

This significant oversight in a city proud of it's artistic and civic heritage is explored for the members of The Preservation Society of Charleston in a recent article by J. Michael McLaughlin entitled "In Search of Willard Hirsch".

I was pleased to be asked to contribute my photos of Mr. Hirsch for Mr. McLaughlin's article on the artist published in the current issue of "Preservation Progress" (Fall 2007/Volume 51).

In the article, Mr. McLaughlin states that "no plaque or marker identifies her (the Little Dancer statue) by name or acknowledges her multi-talented creator." The author continues"...it may be that a whole generation of young Charlestonians has grown up never having heard his name. He is an integral part of the Holy City's important artistic heritage and it's time (again) for Willard Hirsch to get his due."

I couldn't agree more. Having apprenticed in his studio, I observed Mr. Hirsch at work producing significant artwork in the latter years of his long and distinguished career.

I always felt fortunate to have the opportunity to work with an artist of Mr. Hirsch's stature.












At that time (1970's), he was greatly sought after for public and private commissions. His significant body of work (click here for a link to the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art listings for 35 of Mr. Hirsch's sculptures) had established him firmly as one of the premier artists in the region.

Willard Hirsch in front of one of his many custon designed
fresh and saltwater aquariums at his studio on Exchange St. 1979. 

Interior view circa 1979 of Hirsch's Charleston studio at 2 Exchange St
with his work in bronze, wood, terra cotta, and plaster on display.

The lack of documentation about his prominent life and career is of serious concern for those who are interested in accurately preserving the record of Charleston's artistic heritage.

Willard Hirsch, Prominent 20th Century Charleston Artist and Sculptor

Willard N. Hirsch was a leading figure in the Charleston Arts Community from 1945 until his death in 1982. He received his formal art training in New York City at the National Academy of Design and Beaux Arts Institute.

After completing his studies and exhibiting his work in New York, he returned to his native city of Charleston in the early 1940's to establish his studio in the region he loved and found inspiring.

Throughout his long and accomplished career, he remained active in his spacious Queen Street studio completing public and private commissions for state and governmental buildings, colleges, universities, and private collectors.

His sculpture is represented in national and regional collections including that of Brookgreen Gardens, The South Carolina State Museum,The Gibbs Museum of Art, Clemson University, The College of Charleston, SC State University, Ashley Hall School, The Charleston County Library System,The Richland County Public Library System, The City of Charleston (White Point Gardens and The Gaillard Municipal Auditorium), and SC National Guard Armory buildings statewide, to name a few. Click Here for a listing of his work from the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art.

I had the privilege of working for Mr. Hirsch as his studio assistant from 1979 to 1981.

Unlike artistic contemporaries such as William Halsey, Willard Hirsch's efforts to advance the Arts in Charleston during the later period of the "Charleston Renaissance" have not been as well documented for future reference.

Toward the end of his career, Mr. Hirsch was honored with a retrospective exhibition of his work by the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston. I am posting pictures I took of Mr. Hirsch, museum guests and his sculpture at the opening reception of that historic exhibit, because I haven't seen other accounts to record the event.

These pictures show but a small portion of this under recognized artist's contribution to the advancement of the Visual Arts in Charleston during his lifetime.

The scope and diversity of artwork presented by the exhibition organizer Gibbs Museum of Art Curator of Collections Martha R. Severnes was impressive. Included in the exhibition organized by the Gibbs Museum's  Curator of Collections Martha R. Severens were large scale works carved in exotic woods and stone. Bronze and terra-cotta figures representing themes from religion, mythology, and history were presented along with selected works from his extensive body of public and private portraiture.

It was and remains an unequaled, accomplished body of work by any sculptural artist in Charleston or the region from that time to the present.

Sculptor Willard Hirsch (rt.) explains an artistic concept.


Mrs. Willard N. Hirsch (nee: Mordenai Raisin) among displays of bronze and terra cotta portrait busts at the Gibbs Museum of Art, Lower Gallery.





Reception guests view "The Falling Angel" and a portrait bust of South Carolina's legendary Statesman, L. Mendel Rivers in the background.



The "Little Dancer", a popular figure of the Children's Fountain in White Point Gardens at Charleston's Battery, was prominently displayed along with a bas relief of children dancing and a sculpture of a young child.





Here are a few examples of the portraits assembled in one of the museum's main floor galleries. Many prominent Charleston families had several generations of family member's portraits sculpted by Mr. Hirsch in his long and prolific career.






In 1979, rows of commissioned portraits lined the shelves of bookcases in his Queen Street studio, as the artist signed a finished bas relief portrait.

Willard N. Hirsch-Charleston Sculptor 1905-1982

This is Willard N. Hirsch standing by a maquette of his statue "Cassique of the Kiawah" in his Queen Street Studio in Charleston in 1979.

He was a contemporary of the artists William Halsey and Corrie McCallum in the Charleston arts community from 1944-1982. Mr. Hirsch studied at the Beaux Arts Institute and the National Academy of Design in New York City during the 1930's. He returned to his native city of Charleston and completed numerous public and institutional sculpture projects in SC from 1942 until his death in 1982.

His works are included in the collections of Brookgreen Gardens, The SC State Museum,The Gibbs Museum of Art, Clemson University, The SC State University, The College of Charleston, The City of Charleston ( White Point Gardens and The Gaillard Auditorium), Charleston County Public Library System, Charles Towne Landing State Historic Site, Ashley Hall School, and the SC National Guard (bas-relief sculptures on Armory buildings statewide) to name a few.

For many years, he worked and taught out of his Queen Street studio in Charleston.

His sculpture lessons for children progressed from modeling a snail out of rolled and coiled clay, to modeling a turtle and finally an elephant figure in plasticine.
Mr. Hirsch taught anatomical accuracy in these lessons being sure that the snails shell coiled in the correct direction and the pattern on the turtle shell was true to life. His amusing stories brought smiles to his young students faces and life to his figures.

One of his best known and loved works is the"Little Dancer" on the Battery at White Point Gardens.




Another favorite work is his bronze stature, "The Falling Angel" which used to be on display in front of the Gibbs Museum of Art Gallery School, where he taught for several years with William Halsey and Corrie McCallum before the three artists formed their own private art school, The Charleston School of Art for instruction in drawing, painting, and sculpture.

I had the privilege of working for Mr. Hirsch as his studio assistant from 1979 to 1981.

Mr. Hirsch taught me modeling portraits and figures from life in clay and plasticine, armature construction, plaster casting, along with many great stories.

He was a world class story teller, as anyone who had the good fortune to know him will agree. There was never a day he wouldn't greet his clients with a smile and a great story.

His unique personality and talent remain with us in his many impressive works and in the memory of those who knew him. There hasn't been another sculptor in modern Charleston to match his accomplishments.