New Bust of Abraham Lincoln to be Unveiled at the New-York Historical Society: Life-Size Bronze Sculpture Considered a Milestone

    NEWTON, MA, March 29, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- What is being described as one of the finest sculpted renderings of Abraham Lincoln to date is about to be revealed to the public. On Wednesday, April 3, the New-York Historical Society will unveil a life-size bronze sculpture of the 16th president. The artist, Long Island, New York sculptor and expert on artistic anatomy Frank Porcu, will be present for the event, at which the bust will be unveiled by legendary singer Tony Bennett, a long-time Lincoln admirer; and introduced by distinguished Lincoln historian Harold Holzer.

The project, which has generated a great deal of interest among Lincoln scholars and museum curators alike, was commissioned by Shawn Thomas, a Long Island-based collector of Lincoln manuscripts and iconographic materials, and the host of the event. According to Mr. Thomas, of all the images of Lincoln he's examined, very few have conveyed "the essence of the man."

"Our hope is that this new rendering will do for Lincoln's image what Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' has done to accurately convey Lincoln's strong character and profound intellect," Thomas said. "From the overwhelming praise we've received so far, we are greatly encouraged."

Mr. Porcu, who has taught at Columbia University and is presently on the faculty of the Graduate School of Figurative Art at the New York Academy of Art, believes his sculpture is "the most physiognomic representation of Lincoln to date." That's because, he explained, "not only is my method based on scientific anatomical law that defines the construction of all human faces, my approach is unprecedented in the history of the craft, as each piece of clay is planned in advance, applied, and never touched again."

Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, commented: "As an institution with a significant collection of Lincoln portraiture, we are pleased to be the venue for the unveiling of this latest example of the genre--particularly a work of art by a New York sculptor." She announced that the bust will be on view for two weeks following the unveiling, "so visitors to the Historical Society can be among the first members of the museum-going public to see it for themselves."

"I have seen many examples of Lincoln sculpture--made both from life and retrospectively--and to me, few convey both the lifelike realism and implied power and humanity of Frank Porcu's accomplished portrait. That a gifted young artist has devoted so much thought and skill to a Lincoln work is exciting news; that he has consummated it so successfully is cause for rejoicing. I've written much about the 'Lincoln Image' over the years. It's a major event to have a Lincoln image in bronze for the sesquicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's greatest legal and oratorical triumphs: the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. Porcu's "Thomas" Lincoln, for which we also thank his generous and determined patron Shawn Thomas, gives us a piercing new look at the Lincoln we know from these triumphant accomplishments."

--Harold Holzer, Lincoln historian and Roger Hertog Fellow at the New-York Historical Society

Abraham Lincoln, sculpted by Frank Porcu
Patron: Shawn Thomas
Introduced by Harold Holzer
Unveiled by Tony Bennett
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
6:30 PM cocktails, ceremony to follow
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West, New York, NY

For more information, please visit http://www.frankporcu.com/painting.html.

Media contact: Victor Gulotta
Gulotta Communications, Inc.
617-630-9286
victor(at)booktours(dot)com

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