- Georg J. Lober
Georg John Lober (1892-December 14, 1961) was an American
sculptor .Born in
Chicago, Illinois in 1892, Lober moved toKeyport, New Jersey as a teenager. Lober studied sculpture at theBeaux-Arts Institute of Design and at theNational Academy of Design , and was an apprentice ofMount Rushmore sculptorGutzon Borglum .His
bas relief s ofRobert Fulton andHenry Hudson in 1909 were his first major works. A bronze statue ofEve that he created for the1939 New York World's Fair inFlushing, Queens was destroyed by vandals. A 1949 sculpture ofThomas Paine is located inMorristown, New Jersey 's Burnham Park.Lober created an eight-foot-tall seated figure of
Hans Christian Andersen on a granite bench forNew York City 'sCentral Park , that was cast in bronze atLong Island City 's Modern Art Foundry at a cost of $50,000 that was a gift of schoolchildren from Denmark. The statue was designed to accompany an outdoor center for story-telling, and was placed on a 40-foot square stone platform surrounded by benches, trees and shrubs. [Staff. [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70F17FE3E5F157A93C7A8178CD85F428585F9 "ANDERSEN MEMORIAL TO BE PLACED IN PARK"] , "The New York Times ", July 15, 1956. Accessed October 7, 2008.] The $75,000 cost of the monument was covered in part by contributions from Danish and American schoolchildren. [ [http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageServer?pagename=virtualpark_thegreatlawn_hanschristianandersen Hans Christian Andersen] ,Central Park Conservancy . Accessed October 7, 2008.]Composer
Oscar Hammerstein II was the chairman of a committee that selected Lober and architectOtto Lanmann to develop a statue of composer, playwright, and actorGeorge M. Cohan that sits inDuffy Square on Broadway at the northern end ofTimes Square inMidtown Manhattan . The statue was formally unveiled and dedicated on September 11, 1959 by MayorRobert F. Wagner . [ [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12321 George M. Cohan Statue in Duffy Square] ,New York City Department of Parks and Recreation . Accessed October 7, 2008.]He was appointed to the New York City Municipal Art Commission in 1942, and served as its executive secretary from 1943 to 1960. The Arts Commission was responsible for supervising the artistic quality of all city matters ranging from lamp posts to schools to bridges. He was tasked in 1946 by
Mayor of New York City William O'Dwyer to restore portraits inNew York City Hall that had deteriorated severely. A June 1950 editorial in "The New York Times " thanked Lober and the Art Commission, saying that they "deserve a pat on the back for their careful and painstaking work" in preserving the city's heritage for future generations.Staff. [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00E10F73F5E147A93C7A81789D95F458685F9 "GEORG J. LOBER, 69, SCULPTOR, IS DEAD; Ex-Head of Art Commission Here--Did Cohan Statue"] , "The New York Times ", December 15, 1961. Accessed October 7, 2008.]Lober lived at 33 West 67th Street in Manhattan, and died on December 14, 1961, and was interred in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Keyport.Jeandron, Jack. [http://books.google.com/books?id=oCtY4qiKmVcC&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138&dq=keyport+%22lazy+susan%22&source=web&ots=widVE6x152&sig=q5Beci9AutWiaR0W60xf5tB-MTk&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result "Keyport"] , Arcadia Publishing, 2003, ISBN 0738524395, via
Google Books , p. 138. Accessed October 7, 2008.]Denmark
He created an emblem for the Danish National Park in
Reabild in 1912. He made a bronze relief ofAbraham Lincoln that is located in Rebild Park. A bronze portrait of native sonHans Christian Andersen is in the Odense Museum. Denmark recognized Lober in 1950 with the the Knight Cross of the Order of Daneborg, the nation's highest medal.References
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