Lili Auer

The above fountain (lovingly maintained by Rich Morrow) in the P&C's courtyard garden is as familar to every member as the identity of its creator remains a mystery.

We know that her name was Miss Lili Auer -- but beyond that, the only information I could find is what follows:

*Born in Munich, 1904
*Studied at the Woodcarving Trade School, Kunstgewerbeschule, Academy of Fine Art 1920-1930
*Art Institute Chicago Vicinity Show, 10 times 1930-1945
*Municipal Art League Prize, 1941

*1936 - served as juror for the annual American Paintings and Sculpture exhibit, juried in New York (by C Paul Jenewein and Chonzio Maldarelli) and Chicago (Raoul Josset, Lorado Taft, Robert Jay Wolff) note: The two New York jurors were the two premier American public sculptors of the 30's, Josset was a French-born architectural art-deco sculptor, Wolff was a young abstract sculptor/painter who later led the Brooklyn Academy, and Taft, the dean of Chicago sculptors, would die a few months later.

1945 - Prize in Chicago Galleries Assoc. member show for "Repose"
1953 - Salem Lutheran church - exhibit of Modern Art
1954 - restored art objects at the James Deering estate "Vizcaya" in Miami

So she was a trained, professional sculptor who clearly had the respect of the city arts community --- but none of her work can be found on the auction websites.

As a woman, she could not become an artist member of the P&C -- but as a native German, she probably got along well with the many ethnic German men who were members -- and was probably considered "just one of the boys."

1924 "Haystacks", collection of Michael Todor

1932

1942, $100 Municipal Art League Prize

Allerton Park , University of Illinois, Monticello Illinois