BROWN, AARON SYLVESTER
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Brown Aaron Sylvester (1907-1956), painter, sculptor, and architect, was born on December 14, 1907, in Harper City, Cape Palmas.
He studied at Liberia College, the Sorbonne, and the Oxford School of Architecture. As a Sculptor, painter, and architect, he left much evidence of his work in England, France, Dakar, and Liberia. In Liberia, he designed several medals for the Government, including the Liberia D.S.O. and the Centennial medal.
He was also the designer, sculptor, and builder of the Centennial Monument in Monrovia, the interior of which are sculptured statutes of the first President, Roberts, and the 18th President, Tubman. One of the most famous works of Dr. Brown outside Liberia is in the center of a Public Garden in Dakar, Senegal, and is called “The Bondage of Love”.
For the “Bondage of Love” in Dakar and his other works in France, he received the French Decoration of Chevalier Officer of the Black Star of Benin from President Raymond Poncaire. His other works in Liberia include the “Angels” in the Public Square in Monrovia, and many beautiful monuments designed and constructed for private persons in honour of their dead.
In recognition of Dr. Brown’s many contributions to the artistic life of Liberia, President Tubman decorated him Officer in the Order of the Star of Africa. His birthday is commemorated annually by the Liberian Arts and Craft Society.
OSBORNE K. DIGGS
