Peter Ganine

Peter Ganine (October 11, 1900 – August 11, 1974) was a Russian-American sculptor best known for his work in ceramics and his chess sets.

Ganine began his art studies in Russia. He spent five years as a trader in the Belgian Congo^[4] before coming to the US in 1931,^[5] on a scholarship to Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.^[3] He settled in Hollywood in 1932, where he lived until his death.^[1][4][6] His work was championed by longtime Los Angeles Times art editor and critic Arthur Millier.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]}

He served as an aircraft patternmaker during World War II.^[4]

The subjects of Ganine's sculptures were largely people or animals.^{[3][13][14][15][16]} He patented many of his animal sculptures, which were then reproduced in plastic and sold inexpensively.^[3][4][13] His most popular designs were a whale, which won a prize from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art,^[4][14] and an "uncapsizeable duck", of which over 50,000,000 were sold.^[3][15] When Ganine gave human faces to chess pieces, he introduced "first major change of design for chess sets in more than a century."^[17]

Personal life

Ganine married actress Marguerite Churchill on June 5, 1954.^[18][19] He later married a woman named Karin.^[3]

Works

• Superba Gothic chess set (c.1930s)^[20]
• Colt sculpture (c.1939)^[21]
• Baby Centaur sculpture (c.1940)^[6][22][23]
• Beer Mug sculpture (c.1941)^[7]
• Rudolph sculpture of a dachshund (c.1941)^[7]
• Bull sculpture (c.1941)^[7]
• Dog sculpture (c.1944)^[24]
• Why sculpture (c.1944)^[8]
• Life Mask of Nicholai Fechin sculpture (1945)^[25]
• Happy Womanhood sculpture (c.1947) – model: Maureen O'Hara^[26]
• Hosanna sculpture of choir boys (c.1948)^[9]
• Classic chess set (1961) – used in Star Trek as the tri-dimensional chess set^[27]
• Rearing Colt sculpture^[28]
• Portrait of Marguerite Churchill sculpture^[29]

Exhibitions

• 1938 – Group show at the California Art Club^[10]
• 1939 – Golden Gate International Exposition^[21]
• 1939 – The Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego^[11][30]
• 1940 – National Ceramic Exhibition at Syracuse Museum of Fine Arts, where won first prize in ceramic sculpture for Baby Centaur^[6][23]
• 1942 – "Artist of the Month" for January, solo show at the Los Angeles County Museum^[12]
• 1944 – Society for Sanity in Art's group show at Los Angeles County Museum^[8]
• 1960 – Group show at W. & J. Sloane Petite Galerie in Beverly Hills^[31][32]

References