16 Inches High x 5.5 Inches Wide x 9 Inches Deep
Virginia Morris Pollak (1898-1967) was an artist and philanthropist. She studied with both Harriet Whitney Frishmuth and Gutzon Borglum, and also at the Art Students League in New York and at Yale University. Pollak used her knowledge of clay and casting to make advancements in reconstructive plastic surgery during World War II. Later, along with her partner in this research, Alfred Wokenberg, she started Alva Studios which created replicas of museum sculptures. Her philanthropy included chairing the Fine Arts Commission of her hometown of Norfolk, Virginia, and sitting on President Kennedy’s Commission for the Employment of the Handicapped and the advisory councils for the future Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center.
Artist: Virginia Morris Pollak
Time Period: Modern, 20th century
Sources:
McGreevy, Linda F. “Virginia Morris Pollak.” Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. Edited by Paula Hyman and Dalia Ofer. Jewish Women’s Archive, https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/pollak-virginia-morris.
“Virginia Pollak.” askART. http:///artist/Virginia_Morris_Pollak/97000/Virginia_Morris_Pollak.aspx#.