Evening star., 1923-09-09
BY STERLING HEILIG.
PARIS Aur1,st

II xet mas not LdIH6 uonc Hduosofuely
by Arthur Putnam. now that life has
| slammed him hard? And does not
| life permit him now to dream in the
sweet south of France since fame
comes late?
Unless you saw his Cave Man at
| the San Francisco Exposition you
probably know little Of this great
artist whose wild beasts, In the
opinion OF critics, surpass those of
Barge, and who carries Robins best
qualities into fields unexplored by
Rodin.
Not since Michaelangelo, they say.
| has a sculptor put such look Of Ia
tent force into his sleek animals.
Yet he liz paraiyzed. unable to pro-
duce, now that his bronEes would
bring him in a fortune.
For years Arthur Putnam starved
| and struggled in San Francisco, en-
| couraged by only two or three dis
cerning art lovers. Even after he
had worked in Rome and been recog-
4 nized In the Paris Salon, his magnifi-
cent creations were crumbling in
plaster.
| At the age of Al Americas greatest
animal sculptor was on the point of
being forgotten before he had be-
| come known.
Then came two American women.
Mrs. Alma de Brsttevilie Spreckels
was in Paris in the spring of 1914.
1t is her husband. Adolph B. Spreck-
| els Of San Francisco, and herself who,
at their own expense, into the mill
lions, have built the California Pal
ace of the Legion of Honor, accepted
and honored by the great French
| order as a memorial to the A. z. #.
| The allied nations have filled Il with
| beautiful art objects and museum
| pieces. Among them are fifty of
Robins greatest works in bronze, the
| gift of Mrs. Spreckies.
+ + +
| At Auberun's studio, In Paris, she
IA saw a bronze animal on the
| mantelpiece and exclaimed: ct looks
! like the work OF a California sculptor
I know"
The great Freuchman replied:
You are doubtless right. 1t is the
! work OF an American who exhibited
in the Salon. found his plasters re-
posing modestly in corner and called
the tury's attention TO them. We
found them so wonderful that they
were given a place of honor"
| Mrs Spreckels then told Aubertin
| that this boy Putnam was paraiyzed
and not able to work any more. The
| great Frenchman was genuinely
panied. viii you not take him back
a letter Of thanks from me?' he said.
| 'I want to let him know that I have
| had the animal which he gave me
| cast in bronze. II is a pity. His
work was genuinely great"
| On her return to San Francisco
Mrs. Spreckels went to see Putnam.
The war had begun. but San Fran
cisco was going on with the prepara-
tions for her great exposition. She
asked Putnam if he was going to
exhibit. He said no. he could not;
he had only plasters. and the art
director would not take them.
| Here comes in another American
woman, who will not permit her
name to be given. 1t is a great pity,
because she Is great artistic in more
than one line. and has universal
European reputation. There are not
many such.
She gave q glance at Mrs Spreckels,
to ask, if the latter would be willing
to have the plaster casts reproduced
in bronze. She wanted them done
by Robins own founder and patiner,
| Rudier. Mrs. Spreckels thought well
of 1t, and spoke up. They chose four
teen animals. And this other Ameri-
can woman started off with them, i'm
mediately, in a hurry. TO Paris!
The war was on. Baggage was ex-
tremely limited. This American
woman artistic. for love Of American
art, actually left her baggage in San
Francisco, and crossed the Atlantic
with a little gripsack for her per-
sonai beiongings-to make room In
her cabin trunk and vsllse to carry
those fourtsen plaster casts to Paris!
In England to get them across the
channel, she had to bribe soldiers re-
turning to the front to carry the
packages on their knees.
| In Paris everything was closed. 1t
was October, 1914. Rudier, the great
! founder, had no bronze and prac-
ticaliy no workmen; but she talked
to him about France and America
until he wept-and Putnam's fourteen
beasts were done in bronze, for the
San Francisco exposition!
They won the gold medal.
y d -
TO-DAY z1rs. SpreckeIs has collected
/ about 200 Putnam animals
| nearly ali OF those which survived
plaster. They have been cast In en-
during bronze. for presentation by
her 70 the Californian Palace of the
Legion of Honor. Two years ago she
| brought the sculptor over to Paris. to
superintend this delicate work of
founding in bronze.
This summer Putnam's animals had
an ovation In Paris at the exhibition
made by the chancellor Of the Legion
of Honor, to show of the art works
fand museum pieces bestowed by the
allied countries on this perfect re-
| production of the orders palace in
paris, erected by the Spreckels at
| Inspiration Point In Lincoln Park,
overlooking the Pacific and at the
| western terminus of Lincoln high
way across the American continent
1t 10 the only house which the Le-
gion Of Honor acknowledges outside
| of France. II is a monument to
I Franco American friendship and the
heroes OF the American expeditionary
| forces.
In II two seulptors honor these and