John A. Wilson

Who is John A. Wilson?

John Albert Wilson was a Nova Scotian sculptor who produced public art throughout North America. He was a professor in the School of Architecture at Harvard University for 32 years. He is most famous for his American Civil War monuments, the Confederacy Statue in North Carolina and his Washington Grays Monument in Philadelphia. Of the latter work, renowned sculptor and art historian Lorado Taft wrote, "No American sculpture, however, has surpassed the compelling power which John A. Wilson put into his steady, motionless 'Pennsylvania Volunteer'." Wilson created his studio at Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Pioneering master of modern architecture Walter Gropius stated the studio "is the most beautiful in the world."