PORTRAITS OF EACH OTHER

The home and studio of Daniel Chester French reopens with an exhibition exploring the creative relationships between the sculptor and his model artists

- By John O'Hern

Chesterwood in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts was the summer home and studio of the sculptor Daniel Chester French and his family. In 1897 he commissioned his friend, architect Henry Bacon, to design a studio on the property the family had recently acquired. Bacon chose the foundation of property's barn for the studio, and the family lived in the white clapboard farmhouse. In 1901, Bacon completed the family's new residence which, this spring, has reopened to the public after a four-year restoration project.

Bacon (1866-1924) would later design the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and French (1850-1931) designed its monumental sculpture of the seated president.

The summer season at Chesterwood, a national and Massachusetts historic landmark owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is as varied as it was when the Frenches were in residence.

The 47th annual contemporary outdoor sculpture show titled Global Warming/Global Warning! will be shown in the property's formal gardens and its 122 acres. The site's artists in residence program, instituted in the 1970s, will host artists in several disciplines. Its performing arts series ArtsAlive! and speakers' series WordsAlive! will showcase artists in music, dance, theater and the literary arts. “This program is also about honoring the deep tradition of creative history at Chesterwood where Daniel Chester French often invited artists, dancers, musicians, and writers to share their work and draw inspiration,” notes the museum.