Monument Man

Winner, New England Society Book Award

"It is a thing as rare as it is welcome--an authoritative book about a visual artist that is both well written and jargon free, and that seamlessly addresses a professional audience as well as the general reader."--The Wall Street Journal

The definitive biography of Daniel Chester French, the artist who created the iconic statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial, John Harvard in Harvard Yard, and The Minute Man in Concord, Massachusetts. Daniel Chester French (1850-1931) is America's best-known sculptor of public monuments. Harold Holzer's authoritative, lavishly illustrated, biography combines rich personal details from French's life with a nuanced study of his artistic evolution.

A fascinating life story written for readers interested in American art, sculpture, and history. Comprehensively researched and written in a lively, engaging manner, readers will be captivated by French's life work and story. His diligent dedication to perfecting his craft over many decades of hard work is an inspiring story of an artist who eventually became the most famous sculptor of monumental works in America.

Written by an award-winning Abraham Lincoln scholar. A preeminent author of numerous books on Civil War-era art and history, Harold Holzer turns his eye to the study of a brilliant New England sculptor who deeply influenced the development of American sculpture, iconography, and historical memory.

-Includes a geographical guide to more than one hundred Daniel Chester French public sculptures and monuments throughout the United States

-Over 100 beautiful archival photographs of Daniel Chester French's life and work

-Features a new foreword by Thayer Tolles, Marica F. Vilcek Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

-New, expanded index

-Specially commissioned by Chesterwood, the home and studio of Daniel Chester French, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation

"As one of the foremost living authorities on Abraham Lincoln, Harold Holzer has long straddled the crossroads of history and art with his own inimitable brand of scholarship. Not surprisingly, in this grandly illustrated and beautifully written biography, he proves to be the ideal guide to the life of Daniel Chester French, who transmuted Abraham Lincoln and other historical figures into monumental sculptures of surpassing beauty, poetry, and inspiration. This book will surely rank as the authoritative life of a man whose creations in stone and bronze have become inseparable parts of our historical memory." - Ron Chernow