Louis Paul Jonas

Louis Paul Jonas
Born Louis Paul Jonas
(1894-07-17)July 17, 1894
Budapest, Hungary
Died February 16, 1971(1971-02-16) (aged 76)
Churchtown, New York
Nationality American
Known for Sculpture
African elephants in the Akeley Hall of the American Museum of Natural History

Louis Paul Jonas (July 17, 1894 - February 16, 1971)[1] was an American sculptor of wildlife, taxidermist, and natural history exhibit designer.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Jonas moved to the United States at the age of 12 and went to work at his brothers' taxidermy studio, Jonas Brothers, in Denver, Co. Later he moved to New York City, where studied under Carl Akeley, a noted field naturalist, taxidermist, and animal sculptor. There, they created the African elephant group in the center of Akeley Hall at the American Museum of Natural History, in New York.[2]

Jonas opened Louis Paul Jonas Studios, Inc in Mahopac, NY,[3] and eventually moved to Hudson, NY. The studio was known for its miniature and full size animal sculptures, taxidermy, and natural history exhibits featured in over 50 museums worldwide.[4]

The company created the first full sized dinosaur sculptures for the 1964 New York World's Fair in the "Dinoland" area,[5][6] which was sponsored by the Sinclair Oil Corporation.[7] Jonas consulted with noted paleontologists Barnum Brown, Edwin H. Colbert and John Ostrom in order to create sculptures that were as accurate as possible. After the Fair closed, the dinosaur models toured the country on special flatbed trailers as part of a company advertising campaign.[8] Many of the statues are now on display at various museums and parks.

Sculptures on display

In 1932, Louis Paul Jonas and his brothers created the taxidermy model of the famous Australian race horse Phar Lap that is now on display at the Melbourne Museum.[9][10]

In 1983, the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. hosted an exhibition of 75 wildlife miniatures created by Jonas.[11]

Dinosaurs

Stegosaurus from the 1964 World's Fair at the Quarry Visitor Center in Dinosaur National Monument
Steggie II at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Life-sized models of dinosaurs created by Jonas Studios for the 1964 World's Fair are on display at:

A Jonas Studios sculpture of a stegosaurus, "Steggie II", is located in front of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.[17][18] Another copy, known as "Wally", is located at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.[19]

Children playing on the Uncle Beazley sculpture at the National Zoo

Uncle Beazley, a model of a triceratops originally created for The Enormous Egg television show in 1968, is on display at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C..



References

  1. ↑ "Louis Paul Jonas". National Museum of Wildlife Art. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Jonas' Wildlife Sculpture in Big Demand". Schenectady Gazette. October 3, 1983. p. 2. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Elliot McCreary (October 1960). Louis Paul Jonas: He Makes Them Look Alive. The Rotarian. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  4. ↑ The World of Louis Paul Jonas. Life Magazine. March 23, 1942. p. 86. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  5. ↑ Frank Leskovitz. "Sinclair Dinoland". Science Leads the Way. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  6. ↑ "Ankylosaurus at HMNS: 40 Year Mystery Solved". Houston Museum of Natural Science. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Sinclair's New York World's Fair (1964-65) "Dinoland" Pavilion". Sinclair Oil Corporation. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 "History: 1960s". Sinclair Oil. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Phar Lap At the Museum". Museum Victoria Australia. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Phar Lap and Louis Paul Jonas!". Taxidermy.net. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Exhibitions: The Art of Louis Paul Jonas". Smithosnian: National Museum of Natural History. July 2 – August 28, 1983. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  12. ↑ "Ankylosaurus at HMNS: 40 Year Mystery Solved". Houston Museum of Natural Science blog. April 14, 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  13. ↑ "Park History". Dinosaur Valley State Park. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  14. ↑ "Visitor Centers". Dinosaur National Monument. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  15. ↑ Dr. Merkwürdigliebe. "Struthiomimus". Flicker. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Trachodon at Brookfield Zoo - Brookfield, IL". Waymarking. March 16, 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  17. ↑ Wendy Wasman (March 2, 2016). "Cleveland's Iconic Stegosaurus Prepares for Spring Break". Cleveland Museum of Natural HIstory. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  18. ↑ "Steggie II". Ohio Outdoor Sculpture Inventory. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Who’s Wally?". Berkshire Museum. Retrieved 20 April 2016.

External links


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