Gaston Lachaise

Born in Paris in 1882, Gaston Lachaise received a classical European art education, studying sculpture at the École des Beaux-Arts. His early career included work as a modeler for the famed French Art Nouveau designer René Lalique. However, a pivotal encounter with Isabel Dutaud Nagle, an older American woman, profoundly shifted his life and artistic direction. Lachaise followed Isabel to America in 1906, never returning to his native France, and became an American citizen a…