Peter Ganine


Peter Ganine was a Georgian-Russian-American sculptor, best known for his work in ceramics and his chess sets.

Early life and education

Ganine was born in Tiflis, Russia on October 11, 1900, and began his art studies there. He spent five years as a trader in the Belgian Congo, before coming to the U.S. in 1931, on a scholarship to the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Career

Ganine settled in Hollywood in 1932, where he would remain for the rest of his life. He gained prominence in the local art scene, with his work regularly championed by longtime Los Angeles Times art editor and critic Arthur Millier.
During World War II, he worked as an aircraft patternmaker. His artistic subjects were primarily animals and people, and he became especially known for his stylized animal figures. Many of his designs were patented and mass-produced in plastic, making his work widely accessible.
Among his most popular creations were a toy whale, which was awarded a prize by the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, and an "uncapsizeable duck", of which more than 50 million were sold. Other patented works include various stylized animal figures:
Ganine also designed a new form of chess set that gave human characteristics to the pieces. This was widely cited as the "first major change of design for chess sets in more than a century."

Personal life

Ganine married actress Marguerite Churchill on June 5, 1954. He later married a woman named Karin.

Works

  • Superba Gothic chess set
  • Colt sculpture
  • Baby Centaur sculpture – won first prize in ceramic sculpture at the National Ceramic Exhibition
  • Beer Mug sculpture
  • Rudolph sculpture of a Dachshund
  • Bull sculpture
  • Dog sculpture
  • Why sculpture
  • Life Mask of Nicholai Fechin sculpture
  • Happy Womanhood sculpture – model: Maureen O'Hara
  • Hosanna sculpture of choir boys
  • Classic chess set – the chess pieces from the Classic chess set were used in Star Trek as part of the tri-dimensional chess set
  • Rearing Colt sculpture
  • Portrait of Marguerite Churchill sculpture

Exhibitions