About Dallin
Cyrus Edwin Dallin was born on November 22, 1861 in Springville, Utah. His sculpting and artistic talent was recognized at an early age, and he was sent to Boston at 19 to study with T.H. Bartlett. Today he is regarded as one of the most important sculptors in American art.
Dallin found the road to success rocky. But his perseverance and dedication are revealed in his efforts to complete whatever he started. A telling testament to Dallin’s tenacity is his 58-year trial to get an equestrian statue of Paul Revere funded and fabricated. After seven versions, Dallin’s statue was erected in 1940 in Boston’s historic North End.
In 1891, Dallin married the writer, Vittoria Colonna Murray. The couple raised three sons. During this time, Dallin actively pursued commissions, exhibited, and won many prizes. Stable income to support his family came from teaching appointments, chiefly at the Massachusetts Normal Art School (Massachusetts College of Art and Design), from 1900-1941.
Dallin gained the respect of other famous artists of his day, including Augustus St. Gaudens and John Singer Sargent, who became a close friend. (Sargent’s sketch of Dallin’s Portico is a treasured item in the Museum’s collection.) Dallin’s art was reproduced and collected on a broad scale. Among his most beloved works are his monuments of Native Americans, which changed the face of public art in America.
In 1900, at the age of 39, Dallin moved to Arlington, Massachusetts, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. As a result, Arlington is now the home for many of his works. Dallin died at his own home on November 14, 1944, a week shy of his 83rd birthday.
Dallin Museum Timeline
Late 1960s
Dallin’s legacy has been largely forgotten in Arlington, MA
1975
Rell G. Francis visits Arlington to research and photograph Dallin’s works for his seminal book,Cyrus E. Dallin: Let Justice Be Done, published by the Springville Art Museum.
January 24, 1984
The Board of Selectmen appoints the Cyrus E. Dallin Committee. The Committee’s first action is to locate the existing works of Cyrus E. Dallin in Arlington municipal buildings.
1987
The Cyrus E. Dallin Committee completes the survey. The resulting document identified 24 pieces by Dallin that remained in the town’s holdings. Most of the pieces were damaged and in need of conservation. The Committee begins a conservation program, and begins fundraising for that purpose.
1987-1997
The conservation program completes the restoration of the town’s works by Dallin.
1994
The Committee recommends the establishment of a museum for the Dallin collection and proposes a plan and by-laws.
April 1995
Town Meeting establishes the Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum.
The Museum’s official mission is to collect, preserve, protect, and exhibit the works of Cyrus E. Dallin and to educate the community about Cyrus E. Dallin.
February 1996
The Selectmen make the first appointments to the Board of Trustees. The Museum will operate with an all-volunteer board and staff, and will continue to do its own fundraising.
1998
The Town of Arlington makes the Jefferson Cutter House available to the Museum to temporarily house and exhibit the collection.
October 1998
The Cyrus E. Dallin Art Museum officially opens to the public. The first two galleries are Family and Neighbors and Paul Revere: Evolution of a Masterpiece.
1999
The third gallery, History and Allegories, opens. At the end of the year, the collection has expanded 33%.
2000
Remaining a municipal museum and town-appointed Board, the Cyrus E. Dallin Museum incorporates as a non-profit organization with 501(3)(c) status for fund-raising purposes.
2002
The Museum’s fourth and most significant gallery, Cyrus E. Dallin: A Tribute to the Native Americans, is officially open to the public.
2003 and beyond
With the four galleries which comprise the core structure of the Museum, the Board of Trustees will prepare for a capital campaign to support new acquisitions, a paid staff member, educational outreach and a permanent home in Arlington.
