From the Fine Art Connoisseur September/October 2024 Editor’s Note:
Honoring the Past and Looking Forward
Every issue of Fine Art Connoisseur reminds me how exciting the field of contemporary realist art has become, across the United States and among practitioners of every age. A key marker of this vitality will go viral on September 13, when all eyes turn to Washington, D.C., for the installation and illumination of the National World War I Memorial in Pershing Park, two blocks from the White House. More than 4 million American men and women served in uniform during the “War to End All Wars” (1914–18), and 116,000 of them gave their lives, a figure especially shocking when we consider that the U.S. did not join the conflict until 1917, three years after it started.
The memorial’s focal point is “A Soldier’s Journey,” the 60-foot-wide bronze relief encompassing 38 figures conceived and executed by the New York City-based sculptor Sabin Howard (b. 1963). It traces the progress of an individual American combatant, who departs home, endures appalling ordeals, and finally returns to his family. Here we see not only soldiers: also depicted and honored for their contributions and sacrifices are nurses, spouses, and children.
Sabin Howard and architect Joseph Weishaar have endured their own journey; planning for the memorial began well over a decade ago, the groundbreaking occurred in 2017, and then came the pandemic. Howard has spent years developing his vision in New Zealand, England, and suburban New Jersey, working closely with his wife, Traci L. Slatton, who helped formulate his ideas around the composition’s narrative element.
I eagerly look forward to attending the unveiling this month, and I encourage everyone to follow the media coverage, which will alert the general public to the fact that great realist art is still being made. Fine Art Connoisseur has long covered the achievements of Sabin Howard, who excelled at the New York Academy of Art after studying at the Tyler School of Art’s program in Rome. Fortunately, there are many more talents out there excelling, including the team of sculptors Howard gathered to develop this project.
I am excited to learn where all of these gifted artists will turn next, and I encourage you to learn more about this month’s unveiling at sabinhoward.com/WWIcc.
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