Bernard
N. Ippolito
The Artist
Born:June 5th, 1939 in Tarrytown, NY.
At age 7 Ben was introduced to Taxidermy by a retired neighbor and a year later started to visit Jonas Bros Studios in Mount Vernon, NY.
Ben was personally mentored and tutored by John Jonas, who was the owner of the studio at the time. Later, in the early 1950’s, after the passing of John Jonas, Stephen I. Horn became the new owner. At age 14, when Ben was legally allowed to work at the studio he worked under Steve Horn and Leslie Jonas and had the honor to became a one-on-one student of Louis Paul Jonas, one of the finest sculptors of the century.
During the 1960’s and 70’s, Ben created and sold bronzes, but preferred making them in casting resin and painting them their natural color. Ben, to this date, does everything from setting up the armatures to sculpting, mold making, casting, bases and finishing himself.
Each model is a limited edition, and each piece is a one of a kind as it is finished a little different from the next.
Ben enjoys custom work and looks forward to one of a kind pieces. He is not limited to mammals or wildlife and has also done the human figure.
Please contact Ben for more information
Bernard Ippolito … taxidermist and sculptor extraordinaire!
By Bob Chauvin © 2005published in the spring 2006 issue of "Breakthrough" magazine.
Louis Paul Jonas
Origin:Hungary
Profession:Sculptor
Born:July 17, 1894, Budapest, Hungary
Died:February 16, 1971, Churchtown, New YorkLouis Paul Jonas attended art school in Budapest before coming to the United States at the age of 14. Upon his arrival, he began work at his brother’s taxidermy studio in Denver, Colorado. There, he was able to study the anatomy of many different animals. Jonas then moved to New York City, where he studied with the internationally known naturalist, animal sculptor, and taxidermist Carl Akeley (1864-1926). Like Akeley, Jonas favored African wildlife and together they created the famous African Elephant Group that remains on exhibit in Akeley Hall at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. After service in World War I, Jonas returned to the Natural History Museum, where he worked on installations in the Hall of Asian Mammals. At this time, his sculptures began to be exhibited at the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Jonas completed Commemorating the Grizzly Bear, a mother bear protecting her cub, for the Denver Municipal Park, which shows the influence of the Art Deco movement. Eventually, Jonas abandoned taxidermy to concentrate on sculpture and, in 1939, opened a studio in Mahopac, New York.
Jonas may be one of the lesser-known American animal sculptors, but he was no less significant. During his career, he was commissioned to create many life-size sculptures including the Grizzly Bear and Cubs at the Denver Museum of Natural History, nine Dinosaurs for the Sinclair Oil Company exhibit at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and a Rhinoceros for the Davenport Public Museum in Iowa, as well as a dog for fellow sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington. Jonas was also a member of the American Association of Museums and the New York Zoological Society.courtesy of the National Museum of Wildlife Art
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