George Julian Zolnay


George Julian Zolnay was a Romanian, Hungarian, and American sculptor called the "sculptor of the Confederacy".

Early years

Zolnay was born on July 4, 1863, to Ignác Zolnay, originally from Pécs, and Carolina Vagán Zolnay, from Bucharest. His father Ignác had served with General Józef Bem during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848. By 1849 Ignác, co-owner of the famed Zsolnay Porcelaine Manufacturer, had sold his interest and moved from Pécs, Kingdom of Hungary, to Bucharest, Wallachia. Zolnay's birthplace is usually identified as Bucharest, though some mention Pécs.
He grew up in Bucharest, attending the Saint Sava National College. As George's talents in the arts were noticed in his childhood, he initially wanted to become a violinist, attaining a scholarship at the Music and Drama Conservatory; his father's disapproval kept him from violin, but he did learn to appreciate art. At age twenty he assumed a brief career as a cadet in the Romanian cavalry regiments, where he modelled many military objects and individuals. At his father's wish, he entered the civil service upon leaving the military, but decided to learn sculpting on the side. His father finally impressed by one of his sculptures, Zolnay studied and graduated from the National School of Fine Arts of Bucharest where he learned under Karl Stork. He then went to Paris, France to study under William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Alexandre Falguière, as then to the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts of Vienna where he studied under Edmund von Hellmer and Carl Kundmann, and received a Grand Prix for his work. His high ranking at Vienna gave him a grant for his own art studio, and a cash allowance.

Move to the United States

Zolnay came to the United States in 1893 to attend the World's Columbian Exposition, at the behest of the U.S. consul-general to Vienna. Already enjoying considerable acclaim in Europe, he had no difficulties in adjusting to life in America. He intended to return home, but became "enamored" with the United States, and chose New York City for his new home in 1894, eventually achieving American citizenship. In 1895 Zolnay was "employed to make models for the ornamentation" for the Parthenon building created for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897. He became a favorite sculptor of Southerners in 1897 after he sculpted a statue of Sam Davis, a Confederate spy who was executed; as no pictures of Davis survived, Zolnay based the likeness on Davis' relatives. Zolnay's numerous creations, scattered throughout the South, earned him the sobriquet "Sculptor of the Confederacy." Among his most memorable works are memorials to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his daughter Winnie, affectionately known as the "Daughter of the South."
Zolnay later served as the president of the St. Louis Plastic Arts Association and director of the Chicago School of Fine Arts. In 1903, Zolnay was appointed the director of the art department of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and in 1909 he became the director of the Art Academy at University City, Missouri. He would eventually decide to move to New York City. Zolnay was one of the eight men led by Charles DeKay who founded the National Arts Club, becoming its first vice-president. He was also the president of the Saint Louis Plastic Artists Association and director of the Art Institute of Chicago.
He received renown for his work for the Chicago World's Fair. At the University of Virginia he designed the pediment on an academic building, and crafted a bust of Edgar Allan Poe. He became active in Missouri, becoming the art department director of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1903, and in 1909 he became the director of the Art Institute at University City, Missouri.
On June 19, 1909, Zolnay gave a speech at the dedication of the Confederate Private Monument in Centennial Park in Nashville, Tennessee. Not only did Zolnay design the monument, but he also donated $500 to build it. Zolnay also designed the bust of Confederate veteran Edmund William Cole, which was installed in Kirkland Hall, the administration building of Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
In 1913 Zolnay moved his studios to Washington, D.C. Beside his sculptural activity, he also delivered lectures on Romania, illustrated with traditional Romanian music and by lantern slides, at the Smithsonian Institution and did illustration work for the two volumes of the book The Roumanians and Their Lands issued by the Roumanian Relief Committee of America in 1919.

Personal life

Zolnay married Abigail Rowan Gillim on November 23, 1902. She was a Southerner; her parents had come from Ireland and settled in Kentucky. They had two daughters, Margaret and Elisabeth. Zolnay died on May 1, 1949 at his residence on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Legacy

In 1902 while on a visit to Romania, he was received by King Carol I of Romania in a one-hour private audience at Peleș Castle in Sinaia. Later on the king awarded Zolnay the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Crown.. His artistic legacy in Romania includes the statue of Tudor Vladimirescu in Târgu-Jiu and a bust of poet Grigore Alexandrescu.
The Zsolnay family have enriched the culture of the city of Pécs and added to its wealth. The artworks of successive generations can be seen everywhere from the facade of old and new houses, on roofs, on sculptures and reliefs, in shop-windows, on commemorative plaques. The sculpture of the Saracen boy decorating the fountain was made by George Zsolnay.
His impact in America was even greater. Zolnay worked primarily on the face of the figure. Notable works include a statue of Jefferson Davis at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia and the Sequoyah statue at the National Statuary Hall Collection. He also created the bas relief on Ream's grave monument, located at Arlington Cemetery.

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