Ralph Stackpole

Ralph Ward Stackpole
Stackpole in his studio in 1940
photo by Peter Stackpole for LIFE magazine
Born(1885-05-01)May 1, 1885[1]
DiedDecember 13, 1973(1973-12-13) (aged 88)
Puy-de-Dôme, France
NationalityAmerican
EducationCalifornia School of Design
École des Beaux-Arts
Known forSculpture

Ralph Ward Stackpole (May 1, 1885 – December 10, 1973)[2] was an American sculptor, painter, muralist, etcher and art educator, San Francisco's leading artist during the 1920s and 1930s. Stackpole was involved in the art and causes of social realism, especially during the Great Depression, when he was part of the Public Works of Art Project, Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration, and the Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture. Stackpole was responsible for recommending that architect Timothy L. Pflueger bring Mexican muralist Diego Rivera to San Francisco to work on the San Francisco Stock Exchange and its attached office tower in 1930–31.[3] His son Peter Stackpole became a well-known photojournalist.

  1. ^ "Ralph Ward Stackpole (1885–1973)". AskART. 2000–2010. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  2. ^ Obituary Archived 2019-04-10 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times of December 13, 1973.
  3. ^ "The Commission". Diego Rivera Mural. San Francisco Art Institute. 2007. Archived from the original on September 9, 2006. Retrieved April 23, 2010.