Rene Paul Chambellan (September 15, 1893 – November 29, 1955) was an American sculptor who specialized in architectural sculpture. He was also one of the foremost practitioners of what was then called the "French Modern Style" and has subsequently been labeled Zig-Zag Moderne, or Art Deco. He also frequently designed in the Greco Deco style.
Life and career Chambellan was born in West Hoboken, New Jersey (now part of Union City, New Jersey).Staff. "R. P. Chambellan, Long A Sculptor; Architectural Artist Is Dead -- Conceived Decorations for Many Famed Structures", The New York Times, November 30, 1955. Accessed November 24, 2017. "Cliffisde Park, N. J., Nov. 29 -- Born in the West Hoboken section of Union City, Mr. Chambellan attended New York University from 1912 to 1914.... He resided here at 537 St. Paul's Avenue."Shockley, Jay. "Russell Sage Foundation Building and Annex Designation Report" . New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. (June 20, 2000), p.5 He studied at New York University from 1912 to 1914, in Paris at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design from 1914 to 1917 and the Académie JulianVictoria Charles, 1000 Chef-d'œuvre des Arts décoratifs (1918-1919), as well as with sculptor Solon Borglum in New York City. During the First World War, he was a sergeant in France with the U.S. Army.
A resident of Cliffside Park, New Jersey, Chambellan died in a nursing home in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Selected architectural sculpture
1922-1926 – Russell Sage Foundation Building, Grosvenor Atterbury architect, (now Sage House), 122-130 East 22nd Street, New York City 1923-1924 – American Radiator Building, Howels & Hood and André Fouilhoux architects, NYC 1925 – Chicago Tribune Building, Raymond Hood architect, Chicago, Illinois 1927 – Sterling Memorial Library, James Gamble Rogers architect, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut – Home Savings Bank of Albany, Dennison & Hirons architects, Albany, New York 1927-1929 – Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, Robert Helmer of Halsey, McCormack and Helmer, architects, Brooklyn 1928 – New York Life Building, Cass Gilbert architect, NYC – State Bank & Trust Company Building, Dennison & Hirons, architects, NYC – Beekman Tower, John Mead Howells, architect, NYC 1929 – Chanin Building, Sloan & Robertson architects, NYC – Stewart & Company Building, Warren & Wetmore architects, NYC 1930 – Daily News Building, Raymond Hood architect, NYC 1931 – Buffalo City Hall, Deitel, & Wade architects, Buffalo, New York – Carew Tower, Delano & Aldrich with W.H. Ahlschlager architects, Cincinnati, Ohio – King’s County Hospital, LeRoy P. Ward architect, NYC – Tower, National Shrine of the Little Flower, Henry McGill architect, Royal Oak, Michigan – Sterling Memorial Library, James Gamble Rogers architect, New Haven, Connecticut c.1932 – New York State Office Building, Albany, New York 1939 – Manhattan Criminal Courthouse (100 Centre Street), Harvey Wiley Corbett and Charles B. Meyers architects, NYC 1939 1940 – Airlines Building, John B. Peterkin architect, NYC1940 photo post card 1948 – Firestone Memorial Library, O’Connor & Kilham architects, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey Queens County Hospital, NYC Naval Hospital, Beaufort, South Carolina
Other works 1921 – John Newbery Medal c.1928 Series of five designs in cast-iron depicting historic New York City seals, for the Miller Elevated HighwayMiller Highway history with photos 1929 – Bronze Doors, East New York Savings Bank, Holmes & Winslow architects, Brooklyn, New York c.1930s Tritons, Nereids and Dolphins, Rockefeller Center, NYC 1937 – Bronze Doors, Hirons & Woolwine architects, Davidson County Courthouse, Nashville, Tennessee – Caldecott Medal 1940 – John Bates Clark Medal for American Economic AssociationAEA Bronze Seal c.1950 World War II Monument, Midland, Michigan
Gallery
References Notes
Bibliography Balfour, Alan. Rockefeller Center – Architecture as Theater, New York: McGraw-Hill,1978 Kvaran, Einar Einarsson Kvaran. Architectural Sculpture of the United States, unpublished manuscript Stern, Robert A. M.; Gilmartin, Gregory F. and Mellins, Thomas. New York 1930 New York: Rizzoli Press, 1987
External links
Rene Paul Chambellan - One of Art Deco's Greatest Sculptors.