William Frederick Behrends (born 1946) is an American sculptor who is best known for creating statues of iconic American sports figures, notably baseball players.[1]
William Behrends | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1946 Tryon, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Education | North Carolina State University (B.A.) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (M.F.A.) |
| Known for | Sculpting statues of baseball players |
| Website | williambehrendssculpture.com |
Notable works
editBehrands created all the statues for the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park:
- Statue of Willie Mays (created 2000)[2]
- Statue of Willie McCovey (created 2003)[3]
- Statue of Juan Marichal (created 2005)[4]
- Statue of Orlando Cepeda (created 2008)[5]
- Statue of Gaylord Perry (created 2016)[6]
He also created the statue of Tom Seaver at Citi Field,[7] the statue of Tony Gwynn at Petco Park,[8] the statues of Hank Aaron and Buck O'Neil at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum,[9] and a statue of Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson in MCU Park in Brooklyn.[10]
He also created the busts of Spiro Agnew, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney for the U.S. Senate's vice presidential bust collection.[11]
Additionally, Behrands annually sculpts the faces of winners of the Indianapolis 500 race onto the Borg-Warner Trophy.[12]
Personal life
editA native of North Carolina, Behrends maintains a studio in Tryon, North Carolina. He studied architecture at North Carolina State University and earned a master's degree in fine arts and sculpture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
References
edit- ^ "From Willie Mays to Juan Montoya: The sculptor of sporting history". Fox Sports. October 23, 2014. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Epstein, Edward (August 7, 1998). "All Choked Up: Giants Legend Willie Mays Is Moved By Statue of Him for New Ballpark". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Schulman, Henry (May 5, 2003). "Emotional unveiling of McCovey statue". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
- ^ Dickey, Glenn (May 22, 2005). "'Dominican Dandy' gets due -- statue unveiled at SBC". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Shea, John (September 7, 2008). "Cepeda honored with his own statue at the ballpark". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Gaylord Perry statue to be dedicated at AT&T Park's 2nd & King Streets entrance". MLB.com (Press release). August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Schreiber, Jay (April 15, 2022). "Tom Seaver's Statue Stands 10 Feet Tall. Just Like Seaver". The New York Times.
- ^ "Gwynn 'thrilled to death' with statue at Petco Park". ESPN. Associated Press. July 22, 2007.
- ^ Francis, Bill. "Standing Tall: Hank Aaron statue debut brings stars to Cooperstown". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
- ^ Gilberto, Gerard (January 30, 2022). "Robinson's legacy enhanced by sculpture". MiLB.com.
- ^ "Albert A. Gore, Jr". United States Senate. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Martin, Bruce (June 12, 2023). "Indy 500 sculptor gets his own 'Baby Borg' after completing his 33rd winner's face". NBC Sports.
External links
edit- Official website
Media related to William Behrends at Wikimedia Commons
