American, 1867 - 1915
Bitter received his initial training in sculpture in his native Austria where he was apprenticed to a local stone-carving firm that specialized in ornamental carving. After working in Germany for a time, he came to America in 1889 and, by virtue of drawings and photographs of his work done in Europe, was immediately employed as a carver of architectural sculptures. His friendship with Richard Morris Hunt led to several major commissions in New York, including the sculptural work for the Fifth Avenue mansions of Cornelius Vanderbilt and Collis Huntington, and the Astor Memorial Gates for Trinity Church. Bitter quickly became known for his decorative work and for his successful harmonizing of sculpture with its architectural surroundings. In the early 1890s, He opened his own studio on Thirteenth Street in New York in the early 1890s, moving to Weehawken, New Jersey, in 1896.
Bitter's gained national attention with the sculptural scheme he designed for Hunt's Administration Building for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This in turn led to commissions for Biltmore, the Vanderbilt mansion in North Carolina, and for the Dewey Arch and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, all executed in the 1890s.
One of Bitter's most visible sculptures is the figure of Abundance done for the Pulitzer Fountain outside the Plaza Hotel in New York, a project on which he was working at his death.
He was a member of the Architectural League of New York, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the New York Municipal Art Commission, the Century Association, and the Players Club. He was a charter member of the National Sculpture Society and was its president for several years. Among his happiest tasks were serving as director of sculpture for the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York, 1899-1901; the Saint Louis World's Fair, 1902-1904; and the Panama-Pacific Exposition, 1912-1913.
Bitter's sudden death as a result of a traffic accident prompted a number of memorials. The eulogy entered into the Academy's minutes stated he "was American in spirit, . . . . we were proud to adopt him as representing American ideals in sculpture." The Academy organized a memorial service for him held at the Ethical Culture Hall, New York.
Bitter's gained national attention with the sculptural scheme he designed for Hunt's Administration Building for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This in turn led to commissions for Biltmore, the Vanderbilt mansion in North Carolina, and for the Dewey Arch and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, all executed in the 1890s.
One of Bitter's most visible sculptures is the figure of Abundance done for the Pulitzer Fountain outside the Plaza Hotel in New York, a project on which he was working at his death.
He was a member of the Architectural League of New York, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the New York Municipal Art Commission, the Century Association, and the Players Club. He was a charter member of the National Sculpture Society and was its president for several years. Among his happiest tasks were serving as director of sculpture for the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, New York, 1899-1901; the Saint Louis World's Fair, 1902-1904; and the Panama-Pacific Exposition, 1912-1913.
Bitter's sudden death as a result of a traffic accident prompted a number of memorials. The eulogy entered into the Academy's minutes stated he "was American in spirit, . . . . we were proud to adopt him as representing American ideals in sculpture." The Academy organized a memorial service for him held at the Ethical Culture Hall, New York.
