Luigi Del Bianco

Luigi Del Bianco (May 8, 1892 – January 20, 1969) was an Italian-American sculptor, and chief carver of Mount Rushmore.^[1]

Luigi Del Bianco
Luigi Del Bianco on Mount Rushmore
Born	May 8, 1892 Meduno, Italy
Died	January 20, 1969(1969-01-20) (aged 76) Port Chester, U.S.
Nationality	Italian
Citizenship	Italian American
Known for	Sculpture

Early life and education

Del Bianco was born on a ship near Le Havre, France, on May 8, 1892, to Vincenzo and Osvalda Del Bianco, who were returning from the United States to Italy.^[1] He showed interest in carving at a young age, and spent time in Austria and Venice studying the art.^[2]

Career

When Del Bianco was 18 years old, he left for America, arriving in Barre, Vermont.^[2]

When World War I broke out, Del Bianco returned to Italy and fought for his home country, eventually returning to Vermont in 1920. Del Bianco's brother-in-law introduced him to Mount Rushmore designer Gutzon Borglum, and Del Bianco began working at Borglum's studio.^[2]

In 1933, Borglum hired Del Bianco as chief stone carver on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Paid $1.50 an hour, Del Bianco was charged with carving the detail in the faces. He carved Abraham Lincoln's eyes, and patched a dangerous crack in Thomas Jefferson's lip.^[2]

Borglum constantly praised Del Bianco for his great abilities as a classically trained stone carver: "He is worth any three men in America for this particular type of work." "He is the only intelligent, efficient stone carver on the work who understands the language of the sculptor." "We could double our progress if we had two like Del Bianco."

Before Mount Rushmore Del Bianco worked on Stone Mountain and Wars of America memorial with Borglum.^[3]

On September 16, 2017, the National Park Service unveiled a memorial plaque at Mount Rushmore. The plaque acknowledged Luigi Del Bianco's crucial role as the only chief carver on the work.^[4]