Atlas statue

Atlas is a bronze statue in front of Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, New York City, across Fifth Avenue from St. Patrick's Cathedral. The sculpture depicts the Ancient Greek Titan Atlas holding the heavens. It was created by sculptor Lee Lawrie with the help of Rene Paul Chambellan, and it was installed in 1937.

The sculpture is in the Art Deco style, as is the entire Rockefeller Center. Atlas in the sculpture is 15 feet tall, while the entire statue is 45 feet tall, as high as a four-story building. It weighs seven tons, and is the largest sculpture at Rockefeller Center. The North-South axis of the armillary sphere on his shoulders points towards the North Star as seen from New York City.

When Atlas was unveiled in 1937, some people protested, claiming that it looked like Mussolini. Later, painter James Montgomery Flagg said that Atlas "looks too much as Mussolini thinks he looks".

The statue is sometimes associated with the Objectivist movement [], in reference to the work Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, although the statue precedes the movement.

See also

  • Farnese Atlas

References

External links

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Christine Spaziano
1 November 2013
Come during Christmas a very magical time of year
Karen
14 August 2022
Incredible and stunning work of art greeting you as you enter Rockefeller Center.
Tim Masterson
15 December 2011
Millons of people have taken a picture here. You don't need to.
Justin JT
29 April 2013
People are taking picture so I do too
Rafa Vela
6 June 2018
Buena escultura, excelente lugar para caminar
Efim
7 November 2013
Вид сверху лучше когда стемнеет.
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