Chesterwood is pleased to announce the development of “Daniel Chester French” a documentary by award-winning filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley. The film will explore the life and work of the renown sculptor and will serve as an educational tool, build a worldwide audience for the French and his work, and introduce the public to Chesterwood. The film is set to premiere in the Berkshires on May 26, 2022, in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial.
"When I was approached by Dan Preston and Michael Richman, editors of the Daniel Chester French papers, with the idea of making a documentary, I had just a vague idea of who he was. I was familiar with his work, but little did I know about the man behind the monuments. As with many sculptors, French's name was living under the shadow of his accomplishments, many of which have had major historical implications.” -- Montes-Bradley.
The documentary will include interviews with French scholars, including Michael Richman, the curator of the first major exhibition and catalogue of French's work, Daniel Chester French: An American Sculptor (Metropolitan Museum of Art 1976) and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer, author of the recently published biography, Monument Man: The Life and Art of Daniel Chester French (Princeton Architectural Press 2019). Montes-Bradley filmed on location at Chesterwood as an artist-in-residence last summer. Other film locations will include Concord, MA, New York City, Washington D.C. and Florence, Italy.
After its official premiere in the Berkshires, Montes-Bradley’s documentary will be distributed by Kanopy streaming to academic and public libraries.
Significant support for this film has come from Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, Jeannene Booker, Anita Heller, Elizabeth Pyle, Nancy Sheridan Kojima, Hans and Kate Morris, Joel Rosenkranz/Connor-Rosenkranz LLC, Elsie and Joel Thompson, Terry and Jay Wise, and many friends of Chesterwood. National Trust for Historic Preservation