And the Oscar goes to…A Hudson Valley-based art foundry
Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry in Rock Tavern, Orange County once again has had their hands full of Oscar statues.
Every year since 2016, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has exclusively teamed up with the Hudson Valley-based foundry to produce the iconic award using the original process of lost wax cast bronze.
To create the award, the team at Polich Tallix digitally scanned a 1928 Oscar and an Oscar from 2015 to stay true to the original design based on Art Deco sketches by MGM art director Cedric Gibbons. The scan was then 3D printed, molded and hand-cast in bronze before receiving its 24-karat gold finish.
“With the help of some 21st century technology, we’re able to honor the Oscar’s proud beginnings,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “The new statuette exemplifies impeccable craftsmanship and the enduring nature of art.”
The award’s 50 statuettes take about three months to produce.
“Polich Tallix has made many of such awards honoring all manners of accomplishment but never before, an object of such renowned and instant recognition,” said founder Dick Polich.
Nicknamed after … Uncle Oscar?
According to the Academy: “Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar. While the origins of the moniker aren’t clear, a popular story has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian (and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939, but it was widely known enough by 1934 that Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in a piece referring to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win.”
Oscar Statuette ©A.M.P.A.S.®
“With this project, we’ve been entrusted with continuing a great tradition. It’s a privilege to be able to bring our art experience and technical expertise to the Oscar.”
