Katherine Lane Weems

Katherine Lane Weems (born Katherine Ward Lane and also known as Katherine Weems, Katherine Ward Lane Weems) (1899-1989) was an American sculptor famous for her work in bronze, especially for her realistic portrayals of animals.

She was born in Boston in a wealthy family and received an elite education typical for women of her class. Her father was president of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston [http://www.bronze-gallery.com/sculptors/artist.cfm?sculptorID=112] She studied art at the Boston Museum School (now the School of the Museum of Fine Arts) under Charles Grafly and George Demetrios and also studied at the summer studios of Anna Hyatt Huntington. [http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/biography.aspx?artist=60876] [http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/digitalcollections/digital_collections.cfm/fuseaction/Collections.ViewCollection/CollectionID/8603]

Like many woman artists of the period, Weems often faced hostility because of her gender. However, she received support from two prominent female artists of the time: Huntington and Brenda Putnam, both of whom were working in New York. [http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/biography.aspx?artist=60876]

In 1947, she married Carrington Weems and exhibited as Katharine Ward Lane as well as Katherine Lane Weems.

Works at Harvard

Weems's works have an important place in many public spaces in the Boston area. Her largest project was to provide the art at Harvard University for the Biological Laboratories that were being built in the early 1930s and were devoted to the biological sciences. Funded by a $12 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, the labs were state of the art. It was decided that such a lavish facility should have art that would be equally striking, and Weems was chosen to carry out a number of projects. [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/NewsEvents/News/Rhinos.html]

First, she made the carved bronze doors at the entrance to the labs, now the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, (MCB). Next, she executed a series of friezes showing over 30 kinds of wildlife. This involved using pneumatic drills to carve images of animals in brick at the top of the buildings. She combined realistic and Art Deco styles and relied on a large group of construction workers to carry out the project. The economics of the Great Depression made it possible to cary out this project on a grander scale than would otherwise have been the case. Wages were lower, workers plentiful, and raw materials cheaper. [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/NewsEvents/News/Rhinos.html]

In preparation for this project, she studied animals at the Bronx Zoo in New York City and also Japanese and Chinese treatments of animals, especially those found on Han Dynasty tombs. She had also studied ancient Egyptian and Indian artistic presentations of animals. [Ambler, 31-33]

Rhinos

The third part of the Biological Laboratories project proved to be the most popular: Bessie and Victoria, two rhinoceros sculptures made of bronze and weighing 3 tons each. They are displayed in the courtyard of MCB. Weems worked on these two for five years and finally had them unveiled on May 12, 1937.

From 2003 to 2005, they were removed from the courtyard so as to be protected from any possible damage during the construction of Harvard's new mouse laboratory. [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/NewsEvents/News/Rhinos.html]

On May 11, 2007, the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology held a birthday celebration for Bessie and Victoria. Featured speakers included E.O. Wilson, Woody Hastings and Deborah Dluhy [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/NewsEvents/News/Rhinos2.html] The two rhinos were decorated in makeup, jewellery and skirts for the festivity.

Bibliography

* Ambler, Louise Todd. "Katherine Lane Weems: Sculpture and Drawings", Boston: Bostan Athenaeum, 1987.
* "From Clay to Bronze", Harvard Film Service, 1930.
* Ingham, Travis. "Makes Her Way to Top as Sculptress" in reprinted from "Boston Sunday Herald" in "The Breeze" Manchester, NH, February, 1932.
* Schmidt, Carl. "The Return of the Rhinos", "MCB News" [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/NewsEvents/News/Rhinos.html]
* Uekermann, Kristen. "Rhinos Bessie and Victoria Celebrate 70 Years" "MCB News" [http://www.mcb.harvard.edu/NewsEvents/News/Rhinos2.html]

Awards and Honors

* 1926. Bronze Medal at the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Exposition
* 1926. Widener Medal at the Pennsylvania Academy
* 1965. Creation of permanent gallery at Boston Museum of Science which showcases her small animal bronzes
* 1987. Creation of the Katherine Lane Weems Chair in Decorative Arts at Boston Museum of Science.

Collections

* Museum of Fine Arts in Boston,
* Brook Green Gardens in South Carolina,
* The Pennsylvania Academy,
* The Baltimore Museum.

Public Works

* "Dolphins of the Sea", six dolphins at the New England Aquarium
* The fountain at the Boston Esplanade Plaza
* Animal friezes at the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology

External links

* [http://www.bronze-gallery.com/sculptors/artist.cfm?sculptorID=112 Biography on "Bronze Gallery"]
* [http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/search/Search_Repeat.aspx?searchtype=IMAGES&artist=60876 Images]