Monuments & Myths, a devoted exhibition at the Frist in Nashville

Co-organized by the American Federation of Arts, Chesterwood, and the Saint-Gaudens Memorial in partnership with the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, the exhibition will be on view through May 27.

“Saint-Gaudens and Chester French were preeminent American sculptors of the late 19th. and early 20th. centuries. They transformed American sculpture, producing dozens of recognizable public artworks,” Buddy Kite, Media & Public Relations Director of the Frist, told DIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS.

Among those significant public artworks, we mention Saint-Gaudens's Diana once atop New York City's Madison Square Garden (currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art) to French's Seated Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC.

After the end of Civil War America and training in Europe, both artists returned to the United States and contributed to shape the visual and intellectual landscape of the nation during a period of industrial growth and developing sociopolitical forms.

“They both contributed to the creation of a national identity rooted in conceptions of liberty and grandeur,” Kite added.

Besides the exhibition, guests are offered an expansive narrative that reflects the multifaceted stories embedded in the art of both sculptors.

The museum also hosts an exceptional display of paintings and works on paper created in the American South from 1913 to 1955 and a selection of recent prints and mixed-media artwork from American artist Baltimore-based LaToya M. Hobbs, both thru April 28.

The Frist

Located at the outstanding former U.S. Post Office building built in 1933, the Frist Art Museum is a non-collecting museum and hosts several exhibitions throughout the year.

In addition to the exhibits, this non-for-profit art institution arrays an impressive school program to instruct students about arts, while exhibiting their projects through several expositions.

Special mention should be given to the Martin ArtQuest Gallery on the second floor. This award-winning, hands-on art-making space has served as a premier destination for families, children, and school groups to explore art.

The updated gallery features enhanced activities focused on creative collaboration, critical thinking, and communication for visitors of all ages and abilities.

The building

Built in 1933-34 by the US Government, the enormous structure, filling a city block, was constructed in a record 18 months.

The design by architects Marr and Holman is an example of Classical Moderne in the United States. The façade and interior are done in the Art Deco Style with cast aluminum doors and grillwork, colored marble and stone on floors and walls.

The old Main Post Office was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Two years later it was rendered obsolete by a new postal distribution center near Nashville airport.

More information about the Frist Museum in Nashville here.