Lot 540: 1939 World's Fair Slobodkin Lincoln Bronze

Louis Slobodkin (1903-1975) was raised in upstate New York and was truly an American Renaissance man. He headed the sculpture division of the Works Progress Administration in 1941-1942 and later sculpted figural relief panels for United States Post Offices in New York City and the nation's capital. He is also well-known to illustration collectors for his work in children's books and cartoons in The New Yorker magazine. Few images portray Abraham Lincoln before his presidential years, and this may be the only representation of him as a young man before he embarked on a political career. This remarkable tribute was created for the Federal Building at the New York World's Fair of 1939. The original was tragically destroyed following the fair, but a copy was commissioned the following year for display at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., where it remains today. The offered lot presents a rare opportunity to acquire an authentic example of this important sculpture in desktop scale. Signed "L. Slobodkin," the item is in a very fine state with rich brown patina. Height 8 1/2 in.