Benjamin Victor (sculptor)

Benjamin Matthew Victor (born January 16, 1979 in Taft, CA) is an American sculptor living and working in Boise, Idaho.[1] He is the only living artist to have three works in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol.[2] He was only 26 years old when his first statue, Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute activist in Nevada, was dedicated in the Hall in 2005, making him the youngest artist to ever be represented in the Hall.[3][4] In 2014, his sculpture of Norman Borlaug, "the father of the Green Revolution," was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall[5] and in 2019, his statue of Chief Standing Bear, a Native American rights leader, was dedicated in the National Statuary Hall making him the only living artist to have three sculptures in the Hall.[6]

Benjamin Victor
Born (1979-01-16) 16 January 1979
Bakersfield, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materNorthern State University
Known forSculpture
Websitebenjaminvictor.com
Monument to Sarah Winnemucca. Bronze, over life-size, 2005. National Statuary Hall, Washington, DC.

Early life

Benjamin Matthew Victor was born in 1979 in Taft, California. He grew up in Bakersfield. After completing high school, he lived in for a time in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota, studying art and sculpture.[3][7]

Career

Victor’s first work to receive attention was a life-size statue of the biblical character Samson, sculpted when the artist was a sophomore art major at Northern State University. The piece earned Victor a scholarship "in recognition of his aesthetic and conceptual integrity" from the prestigious National Sculpture Society in New York City. At age 23, Victor was commissioned to produce his proposal of a trio of soldiers for the Aberdeen Regional Airport War Memorial in South Dakota.

Victor has completed numerous commissions from city, institutions and non-profits for public art works throughout the West and upper Midwest, often to commemorate individuals or groups. He was commissioned by the state of Nevada to make sculptures of Sarah Winnemucca, a 19th-century Paiute activist, one for installation in 2005 at its capitol and one to be installed as one of Nevada's official works in the United States Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. At age 26, Victor was the youngest sculptor to have a work installed at the hall.

Monument to Norman Borlaug. Bronze, over life-size, 2014. National Statuary Hall, Washington, DC.

Notable works

References
  1. "NSU Employee Directory". Northern State University. Archived from the original on 2010-08-25. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  2. "Benjamin Victor Biography". Benjamin Victor, Professor of the Practice. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  3. "Oilworkers Monument Groundbreaking". The Taft Independent. 2009-04-03. Archived from the original on 2010-03-15. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  4. "Reid Speech at Sarah Winnemucca Statue Dedication". Democrats.senate.gov. 2005-05-09. Archived from the original on 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  5. "Dr. Norman E. Borlaug". Architect of the Capitol | United States Capitol. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  6. kardis@bakersfield.com, KELLY ARDIS. "Bakersfield native breaks the mold with third statue at US capitol". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  7. "Winnemucca sculptor selected". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2004-02-10. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  8. "Belle Babb Mansfield Dedication". Heartland Connection. 2008-04-25. Archived from the original on 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  9. "Hoover statue to be unveiled at Smithsonian". aopa.org. 2016-03-17. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  10. "Cecil Harris". Northern State University. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  11. Wells, Aaliyah. "New statue in Centennial Mall honors Chief Standing Bear". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  12. "N.C. State University to unveil Jim Valvano statue at Reynolds Coliseum gala - Triangle Business Journal". bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  13. "In This Corner | NC State News | NC State University". 2013-01-09. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  14. "Wells-to-do". Reno News and Reviews. 2006-01-26. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  15. "Boise State unveils statue of Lyle Smith; Dhaenens glad to increase production". idahostatesman. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  16. "Statue honoring Marine Battalion Unveiled in Newport". The Orange County Register. 2007-09-09. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  17. "Tribute To Be Semper Fi". Newport Beach Daily Pilot. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  18. "New Statue At Boise Airport". Fox News Idaho. 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  19. "Sculpture Unveiled on August 4, 2007". Redlin Art Center. 2007-08-04. Archived from the original on March 13, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  20. Curt Elliott (1969-12-31), Oilworker Monument in Taft CA, retrieved 2017-06-12
  21. Elliot, Sean D. (12 October 2018). "Academy honors 'father of Coast Guard'". The Day.
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