Andrew O'Connor

American-Irish sculptor Andrew O’Connor, Jr. worked mainly in marble and stone to produce monumental portraits and figures, especially of patriotic representations of American icons and politicians. He was the son of classical sculptor Andrew O’Connor, Sr. (1846-1924), who taught his son the basic concepts of the art. Andrew O’Connor, Jr. developed a vigorous and realistic style of sculpture. He began his studies in America with apprenticeships to William Ordway Partridge (1861-1930) and Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), before setting sail for Europe. One of his first European influences was the painter John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), whose works O’Connor saw during a stay in England between 1894 and 1897.

After the turn of the century, Andrew O’Connor, Jr. settled in Paris with his wife Jessie and their four sons Hector, Owen, Roderic and Patrick who were also noted artists and sculptors. There he became influenced by the work of Auguste Rodin, whom he befriended. In the 1930s the family moved to Dublin, Ireland.

The life-size bronze figure group The Spirit of Youth (Boy Scout) was created by O’Connor for the grounds of the Glenview Club near Chicago. The sculpture was erected in 1919 and is still there as of 2020. It was commissioned by club member and steel trader Edwin Stanton Jackman (1865-1927) and commemorates the close connection of the US President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) to the Boy Scout movement. In the base carries the inscription “YOUTH - LIFE - LIBERTY”. O’Connor’s sons are said to have been his models.