Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach is donating a bronze sculpture group by Richard H. Ellis to Forest Lawn-Glendale, it was announced Thursday.
The sculpture group, one of eight that Ellis created for former Home Savings of America branches, is slated to be removed as part of an ongoing renovation of the Lakewood location now operated by F&M Bank.
Forest Lawn will preserve and display the artwork — a family group consisting of two parents, two children and a dog — completed in 1977 by Ellis, who was commissioned to create it for the plaza in front of the building.
Forest Lawn-Glendale is the final resting place of Home Savings founder Howard Ahmanson Sr., who in the 1950s ommissioned Millard Sheets — an icon of the mid-century Southern California art world — to design branch branches throughout the region that often featured statuary and large mosaics.
Ellis collaborated on numerous projects with Sheets from the late 1960s through the 1980s, including the Home Savings bronzes.
Art from many of the locations has been threatened in recent years, and Sheets’ son, Tony, last year helped refer F&M Bank to a Beverly Hills-based art adviser who facilitated the donation to Forest Lawn.
“As part of the building renovation for Farmers & Merchants’ Lakewood branch, it was important to us that we preserve the cultural and artistic heritage of these pieces.” said Daniel K. Walker, the bank’s CEO. “Forest Lawn has a rich history of displaying and preserving sculpture, and we are delighted to contribute a piece of history to their collection for generations to enjoy.”
After removal, an art restoration team will repair a minor break in the arm of one of the figures. The entire group will then be cleaned and resurfaced to prevent corrosion and counteract uneven weathering. Forest Lawn has not yet settled on a final site at which to display the sculpture.
Forest Lawn has been collecting and commissioning figurative sculpture since the early 20th century, with hundreds of bronze and marble statues on display at its six memorial parks located throughout Southern California.