Frederick Olmsted Jr.

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Not to be confused with Frederick Law Olmsted.
This article is about the American artist and biophysicist. For the American forester, see Frederick E. Olmsted.
Frederick Olmsted Jr.
man with curly hair painting a mural on a wall
Olmsted, 1934.
Born(1911-04-10)April 10, 1911
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 14, 1990(1990-02-14) (aged 78)
Falmouth, Massachusetts, U.S
Other namesFred Olmsted, Ric Olmsted
EducationStanford University,
California School of Fine Arts
Yale University
Occupation(s)Artist, biophysicist
Employer(s)Works Progress Administration

Federal Art Projects
Public Works of Art Project
Cleveland Clinic

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Known formuralist, work in developing pacemaker
Parent
George Albert Harris and Olmsted (front) working on Coit Tower mural, 1934. Photo by Peter Stackpole
Detail of "Theory and Science", City College of San Francisco

Frederick "Fred" Olmsted Jr. (April 10, 1911 – February 14, 1990) was an American artist and biophysicist.[1][2] He created social realism themed murals and sculptures for the Federal Art Project, and the Public Works of Art Project.[3][4]

Later, he became a scientist and biophysicist at Yale University, the Cleveland Clinic, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.[3][1][5]

Early life[edit]

Olmsted was born in San Francisco, California on April 10, 1911.[1] He was the son of .Florence Starbuck du Bois and Frederick E. Olmsted, a United States Forest Service administrator and one of the founders of American forestry.[6] He was a great-nephew of the landscape architect .Frederick Law Olmsted.[3] When he was young, his family lived on the campus of Stanford University.

As a child, Olmsted's family lived in a house on the campus of Stanford University.[7][8] They also spent summers in New Hampshire.[7] His father died in 1925.[8]

Olmsted studied science at Stanford University.[2] He graduated with a degree in English in April 1933.[9] He was studied art under of Ralph Stackpole at the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute).[2] In June 1935, he received an Award of Merit in sculpture in the school's annual student exhibit.[10]

Career[edit]

Art[edit]

During the Great Depression, Olmsted worked for the Works Progress Administration, assisting John Langley Howard and George Albert Harris in their Coit Tower murals in San Francisco.[3][2] Although he was an undergraduate student assistant, Olmsted was allowed to create his a three-foot by three-foot fresco mural called "Power" for the Public Works of Art Project.[4][11] The mural is located above the main entrance on the outer north wall of Coit Tower.[3][4] It features a fist "to give rise to the proletariat."[11]

Olmsted also assisted Diego Rivera with his 1931 mural "The Making of a Mural Showing the Building of a City" at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI).[2][11] Olmsted also painted a window archway called "Pottery" in the Anne Bremer Memorial Library at the SFAI.[12]

In 1935 while still an art student, he painted a fresco mural at the SFAI named "Marble Workers" which depicted tradesmen at work at a Fisherman's Wharf tile shop.[11] At some point, the Works Progress Administration-funded mural was painted over.[11] In 2013, the "Marble Workers" was rediscovered and a Save America's Treasures grant was awarded to offset the cost of its restoration in September 2019.[11]

In 1935, Olmsted's work was included in the San Francisco Museum of Art Inaugural exhibition.[1] The same year, he also was included at a show at the California School of Fine Arts, winning the award.[1]

For the 1939–1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island, Olmsted displayed two engravings and also created two sculptures representing Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison that stand .7 feet (2.1 m) high by 4 feet (1.2 m) square and consist of nine tons of stone.[3][1][13] He carved the stone sculptures during the WPA's Art in Action, an exhibition of artists working live for audiences in the summer of 1940.[14][13] Millions of visitors to the expedition saw Olmsted working on the sculptures.[15] When the Golden Gate International Exposition was over, the sculptures were donated to City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and are currently on display at the CCSF Ocean Campus.[3]

In March 1941, Olmsted received a $900 ($18,643 in today's money) Phelan Art Fellowship for sculpture from the James D. Phalen Awards in Literature and Art Committee.[16][17] He worked on his sculptures at the Junior College of San Francisco (now City College of San Francisco).[18] He served on the committee that organized the first annual open air art show in San Francisco in 1941.[19]

In 1941, Olmsted painted two 12 by 8 feet (3.7 by 2.4 m) foot tempera fresco murals at the City College of San Francisco for the Federal Arts Project (FAP) of the Works Progress Administration.[2] Called "Theory and Science 2" and "Theory and Science 3", the murals are in the lobby of the Science Building over the west entrance stairs.[2] The murals show male and female students engaged in scientific activities such as conducting field research, excavating a dinosaur fossil, and looking at bacteria through a microscope.[2] Olmsted created the murals using small brush strokes and a muted, earth-toned color palette.[2]

In June 1942, Olmsted was included in a ten-artist exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Art.[20] In December 1942, he was featured in another exhibit at the museum that included the curator's favorites works from the permanent collection.[21] Olmsted taught art for a few years at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland (now called California College of Art).[3][22]

Biophysics[edit]

In the early 1940s, Olmsted abandoned his art career and became a scientist at Yale University.[1] In the 1950s and 1960s, he worked in the division of research at the Cleveland Clinic with Irvine Page, designing and testing various medical devices.[3][23] He developed a machine to shock the diseased hearts of dogs, a prototype for today's pacemaker.[3][1] Next, Olmsted worked in the biology department of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution where he also designed equipment.[3][22][24]

Personal life[edit]

While at the California School of Fine Arts Olmsted met fellow student Barbara Leslie Greene who was a native of Williams, Arizona.[12][25] They married in Reno, Nevada on December 8, 1933.[25] They had a daughter in July 1939 and later divorced.[26][22]

In 1990, Olmsted died in Falmouth, Massachusetts at the age of 78.[1]

Selected publications[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Frederick Olmsted (1911–1990)". www.askart.com. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Velarde, Lisa. "City College of San Francisco: Olmsted Murals - San Francisco CA". Living New Deal. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Edison and DaVinci by Olmsted". ArtAndArchitecture-SF.com. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c "Coit Tower: Olmsted Mural - San Francisco CA". Living New Deal. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  5. ^ Milton Hughes, Edan (2002). Artists in California, 1786–1940: L-Z, Volume 2. Sacramento: Crocker Art Museum. pp. 832–833.
  6. ^ Newfield, Elsbeth (2006). "773 Dolores (11 Dolores), 1917, Shingle style house" (PDF). Stanford Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-24. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "To Pass Summer in New England". The Peninsula Times Tribune. Palo Alto, California. 1926-06-14. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Olmsted Funeral is Held Privately". The Peninsula Times Tribune. Palo Alto, California. 1925-02-16. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "117 Students Given Degrees at Stanford". Oakland Tribune. 14 April 1933. p. 5. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspapers Collection.
  10. ^ "Honors For Students Are Announced". Oakland Tribune. 2 June 1935. p. 33. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Whiting, Sam (2019-10-02). "Long-lost New Deal-era fresco at SF Art Institute to be brought to light". Datebook | San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved 2019-10-03.
  12. ^ a b "Public Art On Campus, Murals". City College of San Francisco (CCSF). Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  13. ^ a b "San Francisco City College Murals - San Francisco CA". Living New Deal. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  14. ^ “Artists on Parade.” TIME Magazine, vol. 35, no. 26, June 1940, p. 69. via EBSCOhost, accessed July 23, 2022.
  15. ^ "It's a Sequel". National City Star-News. 2 May 1941. p. 7. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  16. ^ "Alexander Nepote Wins Phelan Art Fellowship". Petaluma Argus Courier. 9 April 1941. p. 5. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  17. ^ "Olmsted and Nepote Win $900". Oakland Tribune. 30 March 1941. p. 25. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  18. ^ "Art Lovers Plan Jaunt". Oakland Tribune. 11 December 1941. p. 46. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  19. ^ "Historic Spot for Open Air Art Exhibit". Oakland Tribune. 16 March 1941. p. 25. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  20. ^ "Ten Artists Exhibit at S.F. Museum of Art". 26 July 1942. p. S-5. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  21. ^ "Annual Review of Art at S.F. Museum". Oakland Tribune. 20 December 1942. pp. 8–B. Retrieved January 11, 2024 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  22. ^ a b c "Frederick Olmsted Biography". Annex Galleries Fine Prints. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  23. ^ Frederick Olmsted. "Biophysics in Cardiovascular Dynamics." Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, vol. 29, no. 2 (April 1962): 90–95.
  24. ^ Lauzon, Shelley M., ed. (1986). Annual Report 1986. Woods Hole, Massachusetts: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institutio. p. 60 – via Google Books.
  25. ^ a b "Marriage of Barbara Greene is Announced". Williams News. Williams, Arizona. 1933-12-15. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Olmsted". The Peninsula Times Tribune. Palo Alto, California. 1939-07-15. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-01-12 – via Newspapers.com.

External sources[edit]

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