Biographical Information

Edwin Bogucki
American 1932

Born in 1932 to Polish immigrant parents, Edwin Bogucki was raised in Racine, Wisconsin where, as a young boy he displayed an uncommon talent for fine art and a particularly intense interest in horses. Although his parents tried to discourage his aspiring talents in the hope of his pursuing a more “lucrative” career, Bogucki maintained his love for art and dedicated himself to learning as much as possible on his own.

The artist’s early experience with self teaching turned into a lifelong commitment to purposefully avoid formal art education. Believing that he must maintain the purity and uniqueness of his ideas, Bogucki sought and accepted instruction from only three people. The first was Sister Monica, a high school teacher who had been a pupil of Mestrovic. Another was painter, Alex Dziguraki, with whom Bogucki spent an afternoon of intense instruction concerning his palette. The most influential person, however, was Harry C. Thompson, an artist that Bogucki met in 1953.

In 1969 Bogucki made the decision to leave his job in commercial art and pursue a full time career in fine art. Working in both oil and pastel, the artist did many portraits of horses, dogs and children. In 1962 a commission for a bronze portrait of a Shetland pony gave Bogucki his first opportunity to work in that medium.

Since those early years Bogucki’s main body of work has been made up of commissioned portraits of horses and people. His highly sought after bronze portraits number 35 to date while his pastel and oil portraits amount to well over a hundred. He has also done many limited edition bronzes and noncommissioned oil paintings. Recently, the artist has devoted a large part of his time to other animal species, of particular interest has been the lowland gorilla. With each new piece his unusual talent has showcased a versatility rarely encountered in contemporary artists.
1961 American

List of Public Works:
Arlington International Racecourse, Ltd., Chicago, IL
Life-size bronze sculpture. Title: Against All Odds

American Saddlehorse Museum, Lexington, KY         Collection of bronze sculpture.
 
Arabian Horse Trust, Denver, CO
Collection of bronze sculptures
 
Adams County Museum, Brighton, CO
Bronze sculpture
 
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, IL
Life-size Lowland Gorilla Sculpture. Title: Samson
 
Fort Wayne Public Museum, Fort Wayne, IN
Bronze sculpture
 
International Museum of the Horse, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY
Collection of bronze sculpture/Life-size sculpture.  Title: *Bask++
        
Janow State Stud, Poland
Collection of bronze sculptures
        
Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington, KY
Life-size sculpture group. Title: Secretariat
 
Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, WI
Native Wisconsin prairie diorama
 
Presbyterian Heart Institute, Albuquerque, NM
Life-size bronze relief sculptur

Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Life-size Lowland Gorilla Sculpture. Title: Willie B