You are here:  Home › Artists › Bartholdi

Fredéric Bartholdi

Born: Colmar, 2 April 1834
Died: Paris, 4 October 1904
Nationality: French
Studies: 

with painter Ary Scheffer and sculptor Antoine Etex

Career: 

1869 – design for a monumental female figure as a lighthouse for the Suez Canal is rejected

1870 – the Republican government of France approves monument to be given to the US to commemorate French aid during the American War of Independence; receives commission for Liberty Enlightening the World – Gustave Eiffel designs interior structure

1876 – hand of Liberty exhibited at Centennial International Exhibition (Philadelphia)

1885 –publishes The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, a pamphlet explaining the statue’s creation

1886 –Statue of Liberty dedication ceremony, New York Harbor

Travels

Egypt (1856); New York (1871)

Important Artworks: 

Lion of Belfort, 1871-80 (Belfort, France). This enormous (22 x 11 meters, 72 x 36 feet) red sandstone sculpture commemorates the bravery of French citizens during the 3 month-long Siege of Belfort during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71).