Artist

William Rudolf O’Donovan

born Preston County, VA 1844-died New York City 1920
Media - odonovan_william.jpg - 90103
Courtesy William Page and Page family papers, 1828-1942. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Also known as
  • William Rudolph O'Donovan
  • W. R. O'Donovan
  • William O'Donovan
Born
Preston County, Virginia, United States
Died
New York, New York, United States
Biography

William Rudolf O’Donovan had no technical art training, apart from a brief apprenticeship with a marble cutter in Greene County, Pennsylvania. After serving in the Confederate army during the Civil War, he established a studio in New York and began work as a professional sculptor. He created many portraits and memorials, and was a founder of the Tile Club, a group of artists who met regularly to create handmade ceramic tiles and to offer one another support, inspiration, and camaraderie.

Works by this artist (2 items)

William Rudolf O'Donovan, Thomas Le Clear, 1876, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum acquisition, XX20
Thomas Le Clear
Artist
Date1876
plaster
Not on view
William Rudolf O'Donovan, Joseph Wheeler, 1895, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Henry Clews and Committee of Subscribers, 1921.1.2
Joseph Wheeler
Artist
Date1895
bronze
Not on view