Joseph Coletti
{{Short description|American sculptor (1898–1973)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Joseph A. Coletti
| birthname =
| image = Joseph Coletti 1923 (cropped).png
| image_size =
| alt = A fully black and white photo of Joseph Coletti
| caption = Coletti's passport picture (1923)
| birth_date = November 5, 1894
| birth_place = San Donato, Italy
| death_date = May 5, 1973 (aged 78)
| death_place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
| resting place =
| education = Harvard University
| occupation = Sculptor
| spouse = Mirian Kerruish Whitney
| children = 2 daughters
| parents =
| relatives =
}}
Joseph Arthur Coletti (November 5, 1898 – May 5, 1973) was an Italian-born American sculptor.
Life
Coletti was born in San Donato, Italy, on November 5, 1898.{{cite web |url=http://medallicartcollector.com/joseph-a-coletti_biography.html |title=Joseph A. Coletti |website=medallicartcollector.com |accessdate=November 23, 2020}} He was brought to the United States by his parents when he was two years old,{{cite news |title=Sculptor Joseph Coletti Dies at 74 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/133688887/?terms=%22Joseph%20Coletti%22&match=1 |accessdate=September 26, 2020 |work=The Palm Beach Post |date=May 8, 1973|page=26|via=Newspapers.com}} and he was educated in public school in Quincy, Massachusetts. He then studied at the Massachusetts Art School before attending Harvard University from which he graduated in 1923. The University awarded him a fellowship to travel and study in Europe and this was followed by two years study at the American Academy in Rome. Returning to America he studied with and assisted John Singer Sargent in his work on the Boston Public Library ceilings.Proske, Beatrice Gilman, Brookgreen Gardens Sculpture, Brookgreen Gardens, 1968, 437-438
This work led Coletti into the field of architectural sculpture where much of his life’s work was done.Field Guide to Architectural Sculpture in the United States, Kvaran & Loclkey 2007-2020 He was also an accomplished medalist, creating works for Harvard University. In 1963 he created the 68th issue of the Society of Medalists, Glory of God/Great Frigate Bird. He also produced numerous public portrait statues.
Coletti was a member of the National Sculpture Society and contributed several articles on sculpture for the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Coletti married Miriam Kerruish Whitney, and he had two daughters. He resided in Back Bay, Boston, where he died on May 5, 1973.Opitz, Glenn B, Editor, Mantle Fielding's Dictionary of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, Apollo Book, Poughkeepsie NY, 1986 p. 166
Work
- Oneida Football Club Monument, Boston Common, in Boston, Massachusetts, 1925
- Thomas Crane Public Library, stone carvings, Quincy, Massachusetts, 1939
- Mourning Victory, Salem, Massachusetts, 1947
- Statue of David I. Walsh, Charles River Esplanade, Boston, 1954
- extensive sculptural program for Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Baltimore, Maryland 1955-1956Coletti, Joseph, The Sculpture of Joseph Coletti, introduction by Alan Priest, The Macmillian Company, New York, 1968 plates 101-113
- Statue of Edward Lawrence Logan, Logan International Airport, Boston, 1956
- Statue of Saint Teresa of Avila, National Cathedral, Washington D.C., 1964
- Medal of the Dante Society of America, 1965{{Cite journal |date=1966 |title=Eighty-Fourth: Annual Report of the Dante Society of America |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40166106 |journal=Dante Studies, with the Annual Report of the Dante Society |issue=84 |page=129 |issn=0070-2862 |quote=At the 81st Annual Meeting, in 1963, Mr. Joseph Coletti graciously offered the design of a Dante medal as his personal contribution toward the Dante celebration. It is a pleasure to report that Mr. Coletti completed work on the design of the bronze medal and turned over to the Society in the summer of 1965 the dies and the copies of the medal already completed.}}
References
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Category:American architectural sculptors
Category:American male sculptors
Category:Sculptors from Boston
Category:Harvard University alumni
Category:National Sculpture Society members
Category:20th-century American sculptors