Brenda Putnam

Brenda Putnam was a noted American sculptor and author. Born into a well-connected family, she was the daughter of Librarian of Congress George Herbert Putnam (1861-1955) and granddaughter of book publisher George Palmer Putnam (1814-1872). In her Brenda Putnam Papers she emphasized the significance of her collection by providing not only brief annotations for various items, but often detailed reminiscences of her personal and professional life, thus establishing a context in which to view both her papers as well as her artistic career.

Brenda Putnam began her education at the Boston Museum School in 1905, continuing her studies at the Art Students League and the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. She then established a studio in New York City in 1920 together with Anna Hyatt Huntington. After a period of success in a detailed, conventional representational style from that time until around 1925 with portraits, animals and cherubs on garden fountains, she became dissatisfied with her work. She traveled to Firenze, Italy to recharge her inspiration at the source of great Renaissance sculpture. She also wished to pursue her interest in the more modern simplicity of the emerging Art Deco style, combined with timeless sculptural values, epitomized by the work of Libero Andreotti. The work and ideas of Cubist sculptor Alexander Archipenko also influenced her.

After an accident at work in the early 1940s, in which she suffered severe arm injuries, Putnam concentrated on small formats and medals that were closely related to Art Deco. In 1939 she wrote the book The Sculptor’s Way, which is still considered a classical work on sculpturing. Brenda Putnam was also a classical pianist and performed with the well-known Edith Rubel Trio. None of the submitted works of art could be clearly assigned. Thematically similar works are, for instance, Spear Dancer or Nude Male.