de Weldon, Felix (1907–2003)

Austrian-born sculptor and painter. He studied in Paris, Rome, and Madrid, before settling in England, where he became known for his many portrait busts. He moved to Canada, and, in World War II, he enlisted in the US Navy and became a combat artist.

Born in Austria, the son of a wealthy textile manufacturer, he studied sculpture and was getting commissions by the age of 17. While stationed at Patuxent Naval Air Station, Maryland, he saw a photograph of the US Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima on 23 February 1945. He set to work to make a 3-foot-high model of the subjects. His commanding officer recognized its impact and asked him to make a 9-foot model in plaster and stone for a war bond drive. This then led to a commission to make the 78-foot-high, 100-ton bronze statue, that stands in Brooklyn and is dedicated as the Marine Corps War Memorial in Alexandria, Virginia. He served on the US Fine Arts Commission under presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy. Known for his many portrait busts of presidents, kings, and other notables, he also did some 2,000 public sculptures – 30 works are on view in and around Washington, DC – and reproductions of his works sell well. Among his most popular is Humanity, a concave head of Christ.