“Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master of American Sculpture”

Theodore Roosevelt said in 1907 about the sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens: “There is no greater artistic genius living in this or any other country.” Bernardsville resident and award-winning filmmaker Paul G. Sanderson has produced and directed an acclaimed feature documentary film on Saint-Gaudens which was recently broadcast nationally on PBS and had its premiere at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Mr. Sanderson will introduce the Director’s Cut of the film when it is shown at Bernardsville Public Library on Thursday, July 22 at 7:00 pm.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens: Master of American Sculpture documents the life and work of this great American sculptor who was born in 1848 and lived into the 20th century. Trained in Paris and Rome, Saint-Gaudens is considered America’s premier sculptor of the 19th and early 20th centuries. During a career that spanned three decades, he created nearly 150 works of art including a number of major public monuments to heroes of the Civil War. Master of American Sculpture traces Saint-Gaudens’ life, both personally and professionally, from his birth in Dublin, Ireland to his work in New York City and Paris to his death in Cornish, New Hampshire. The film reveals him as a leader among artists who was one of the first to integrate architecture, landscape design and monumental sculpture as well as becoming the pre-eminent creator of bas-relief. Often compared to the great artists of the Italian Renaissance, he invigorated sculpture in the United States and raised it to new heights during his lifetime.

As producer/director and president of Our Town Films, Inc., Paul Sanderson has enjoyed considerable success in creating television documentaries and educational programs. Since founding Our Town Films in 1992, Mr. Sanderson has won over 30 national awards, including nine CINE Golden Eagles. The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. has honored Mr. Sanderson by placing one of his films in its permanent collection. His programs have appeared on NBC, PBS, The Discovery Channel, A&E Network, The History Channel and CNBC. His films have premiered at Radio City Music Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian.

There is no charge to attend the library program, but advance sign-up is requested. Register online at http://www.bernardsvillelibrary.org/ and follow the link under Adult Programs, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.

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NOTE: For further information about the film or Our Town Films, please call Mr. Sanderson at 201-401-3908.