The ties uniting Saint-Gaudens to France are strong. He was of French origin on his father's side; he received sculpture training at the Beaux-Arts in Paris and made many trips to France. Commemorative and historical monumental French sculpture influenced him throughout his life even though, later on, Saint-Gaudens developed a style that had no equivalent in France. Rejuvenator of American sculpture, he contributed considerably to the evolution of the status of the artist in the United States. His decorative work, multiplied in the form of reductions made for the art market, testifies to his perfect grasp of European movements such as the Pre-Raphaelites and Art Nouveau.
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