This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| | Born in France in 1826 of Italian parents. Mezzara began his career as a carver of cameos. Lured by the discovery of gold in California, he immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1850s. By 1857 he had established a studio in San Francisco where he produced lifelike portrait busts of important political figures and the local nouveau riche. He was a member of the short-lived California Art Union (1865) and a director and officer of the San Francisco Art Ass'n. He served on the committee which founded the School of Design in 1874. Mezzara was active with that school as a member of the board and was in charge of procuring the plaster casts of classical sculpture which were used in the school's sculpting classes. In 1880 he returned to France and died in Paris on Sept. 30, 1883. Exh: Calif. State Fair, 1859, 1865, 1868; Calif. Art Union, 1865; Mechanics' Inst. (SF), 1865-79; SFAA, 1872-76. In: Lincoln Grammar School, SF, (statue of Abraham Lincoln); State Capitol, Sacramento (statues and pediments); Masonic Temple, SF (Charity); SF Mechanics' Pavilion façade (Romulus and Remus). | Source:
Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"
New York Historical Society's Dictionary of Artists in America (Groce, George C. and David H. Wallace); American Sculpture, Donald Stover;100 Years of Calif. Sculpture; SF Morning Call, 10-21-1883 (obituary). | | Nearly 20,000 biographies can be found in Artists in California 1786-1940 by Edan Hughes and is available for sale ($150). For a full book description and order information please click here. |
This biography from the Archives of AskART:
| Known for his sculpted figures for public buildings, he became California's first resident sculptor of noted reputation. He was born in France to an Italian family and began his art career as a carver of cameos. In the 1850s, he went to California to mine for gold, and by 1857, had a studio in San Francisco where he did cameos, medallions, and portrait busts.
He did life-like portrait busts of political figures and local wealthy patrons, and his statue of Abraham Lincoln is at the California State Capitol Building in Sacramento.
He was a member and Director of the San Francisco Art Association and was also a founding member of the San Francisco School of Design, which opened in 1874 on Pine Street. There, he was in charge of obtaining the Louvre plaster casts used in the sculpture classes to copy antiquities. When people objected because of their nudity, he found ways to "mask" this condition.
In 1880, he returned to France where he died in Paris in 1883. |
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