Peter Ganine (October 11, 1900 – August 11, 1974) was a Georgian-Russian-American sculptor best known for his work in ceramics and his chess sets.
Peter Ganine | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pierre Ganine October 11, 1900[1][2] |
| Died | August 11, 1974 (aged 73) |
| Nationality | Russian-American |
| Alma mater | Corcoran Gallery of Art |
| Spouse(s) | Marguerite Churchill (1954–?) Karin (?–1974)[3] |
| Signature | |
 | |
Ganine began his art studies in Russia. He spent five years as a trader in the Belgian Congo[4] before coming to the US in 1931,[5] on a scholarship to Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.[3] He settled in Hollywood in 1932, where he lived until his death.[1][4][6] His work was championed by longtime Los Angeles Times art editor and critic Arthur Millier.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
He served as an aircraft patternmaker during World War II.[4]
The subjects of Ganine's sculptures were largely people or animals.[3][13][14][15][16] He patented many of his animal sculptures, which were then reproduced in plastic and sold inexpensively.[3][4][13] His most popular designs were a whale, which won a prize from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art,[4][14] and an "uncapsizeable duck", of which over 50,000,000 were sold.[3][15] When Ganine gave human faces to chess pieces, he introduced "first major change of design for chess sets in more than a century."[17]
Personal life
editGanine married actress Marguerite Churchill on June 5, 1954.[18][19] He later married a woman named Karin.[3]
Works
edit- Superba Gothic chess set (c.1930s)[20]
- Colt sculpture (c.1939)[21]
- Baby Centaur sculpture (c.1940)[6][22][23]
- Beer Mug sculpture (c.1941)[7]
- Rudolph sculpture of a dachshund (c.1941)[7]
- Bull sculpture (c.1941)[7]
- Dog sculpture (c.1944)[24]
- Why sculpture (c.1944)[8]
- Life Mask of Nicholai Fechin sculpture (1945)[25]
- Happy Womanhood sculpture (c.1947) – model: Maureen O'Hara[26]
- Hosanna sculpture of choir boys (c.1948)[9]
- Classic chess set (1961) – the chess pieces from the Classic chess set were used in Star Trek as part of the tri-dimensional chess set[27]
- Rearing Colt sculpture[28]
- Portrait of Marguerite Churchill sculpture[29]
Exhibitions
edit- 1938 – Group show at the California Art Club[10]
- 1939 – Golden Gate International Exposition[21]
- 1939 – The Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego[11][30]
- 1940 – National Ceramic Exhibition at Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, where he won first prize in ceramic sculpture for Baby Centaur[6][23]
- 1942 – "Artist of the Month" for January, solo show at the Los Angeles County Museum[12]
- 1944 – Society for Sanity in Art's group show at Los Angeles County Museum[8]
- 1960 – Group show at W. & J. Sloane Petite Galerie in Beverly Hills[31][32]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Peter Ganine – Artist, Fine Art, Auction Records, Prices, Biography for Peter Ganine". AskART. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Peter Ganine Biography, Works of Art, Auction Results". Invaluable. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Peter Ganine; L.A. Sculptor". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 13 August 1974. p. A16.
- ^ a b c d e Sherman, Gene (22 May 1957). "Cityside with Gene Sherman". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 2.
- ^ Perry, Barbara (15 May 1989). American Ceramics: The Collection of Everson Museum of Art. Rizzoli. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-8478-1025-3.
- ^ a b c "Brush Strokes". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. 13 October 1940. p. C8.
- ^ a b c d Millier, Arthur (11 January 1942). "Two Good Sculptors Show Their Works in Southland". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. C6.
- ^ a b c Millier, Arthur (10 December 1944). "Sanity Society's Exhibits Stress Conventional". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. B5.
- ^ a b Millier, Arthur (4 April 1948). "Southlanders Show Works on Spiritual Theme". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. C7.
- ^ a b Millier, Arthur (16 October 1938). "Brush Strokes". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. C7.
- ^ a b Millier, Arthur (16 July 1939). "San Diego Presents Fine Show of Southland Art". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. C7.
- ^ a b Millier, Arthur (4 Jan 1942). "War Fails to Halt Exhibitions of Art". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. C7.
- ^ a b "Deaths Elsewhere". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. 14 August 1974. p. C16.
- ^ a b US patent 153426, Peter Ganine, "Floating toy", published 19 April 1949
- ^ a b US patent 153514, Peter Ganine, "Design for a toy duck", published 26 April 1949
- ^ Ganine's various patents consistently show the figures of animals in the designs:
- US patent 155702, Peter Ganine, "Design for a toy animal figure", published 25 October 1949
- US patent 158738, Peter Ganine, "Toy animal figure", published 30 May 1950
- US patent 158737, Peter Ganine, "Toy animal figure", published 30 May 1950
- US patent 159795, Peter Ganine, "Animal figure", published 22 August 1950
- US patent 159796, Peter Ganine, "Animal figure", published 22 August 1950
- US patent 185494, Peter Ganine, "Bracket for a bathroom fixture", published 16 June 1959
- US patent 3064365, Peter Ganine, "Modeling device", published 20 November 1962
- ^ Hoadley, Raymond (15 September 1957). "The Week in Business". New York Herald Tribune. New York, New York. p. A5.
- ^ California Marriage Index, 1949–1959
- ^ Hopper, Hedda (5 June 1954). "Marguerite Churchill to Be Wed – Former film star Marguerite Churchill will marry Peter Ganine at the Russian Orthodox Church here". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. A1.
- ^ "Chessmen of Every Age and Nation are among World's Art Masterpieces". Life: 48–49. 29 January 1940.
- ^ a b "Peter Ganine – by Bonhams". Invaluable. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Pictures instead of Wall Paper". The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, Massachusetts. 29 October 1940. p. 6.
- ^ a b "Here, There, Elsewhere: Rouault Ceramics Allied Posters". The New York Times. New York, New York. 27 October 1940. p. 138.
- ^ "Ebell Salon of Art (1944)". California Art Club. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Peter Ganine". Shidoni. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida. 5 April 1947. p. 4.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Vintage Chessmen by Peter Ganine". Dansk the Night Away. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ "Peter Ganine – by Bonhams". Invaluable. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Pierre Peter Ganine Sculpture – by Bonhams". Invaluable. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "San Diego's Invitation Show". The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, Massachusetts. 26 August 1939. p. 4.
- ^ H.J.S. (10 July 1960). "Kirchner Relieves Season Doldrums". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. F7.
- ^ Fox, Christy (6 July 1960). "Honoring an Ex-President". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. A3.