Last year, sculptor Bryan Moore of Arkham Studios took to kickstarter to support his H.P. Lovecraft Bronze Bust Project. The goal of this venture was to raise the funds necessary to erect a life size bust of the author and donate it to his home town of Providence, RI. They reached their goals and the bust now resides at the Providence Athenaeum Library.
Since the Lovecraft bust fundraiser was such a phenomenal success, a series of author busts seemed to be a natural progression for the artist, and Moore reasoned that Poe is the undisputed king when it comes to lasting works of horror fiction.
Clearly he isn’t the only one that feels that Poe is a deserving subject, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Straub and Neil Gaiman have all backed the project.
Originally slated as a companion piece to the Lovecraft bust in Providence, plans changed when an opportunity materialized at the historic Boston Public Library which houses many busts of legendary authors in its hallowed halls.
Moore elaborates: "While Poe has certainly been the subject of sculptors the world over, I couldn't figure out why he was in museums and not libraries, where first time readers might be exposed to his macabre works for the first time."
Head over to the kickstarter page to find out more about the project and the available rewards for backers.
The unveiling is slated for the evening of October 30, 2014 in the Boston Public Library’s breathtaking Abbey Room.