''Thermopylae'' is a 1966
bronze sculpture
Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
by
Dimitri Hadzi
Dimitri Hadzi (March 21, 1921 – April 16, 2006) was an American abstract sculptor who lived and worked in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also taught at Harvard University for over a decade.
Life
Hadzi was born to Greek-American immigrant pare ...
, installed at
Boston City Hall Plaza
City Hall Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts, is a large, open, public space in the Government Center area of the city. The architectural firm Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles designed the plaza in 1962 to accompany Boston's new City Hall building. The ...
near the
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Federal Building is a United States federal government office building located in the Government Center area of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to City Hall Plaza and diagonally across from Boston City Hall. An exampl ...
, in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
's
Government Center, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
.
Description
The abstract sculpture is approximately 12 ft. tall and 16 ft. wide, and weighs 2.5 tons.
It was commissioned by the commissioned by the
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an independent agency of the United States government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. GSA supplies products and communications for U.S. gover ...
and commemorates
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
. A plaque reads:
"THERMOPYLAE" / DIMITRI HADZI, SCULPTOR / "THERMOPYLAE", WHICH IS A 12-FOOT HIGH, 2-1/2 TON BRONZE SCULPTURE, WAS INSPIRED, / "PROFILES IN COURAGE" AND THE BRILLIANT WAR RECORD OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY, / IT IS NAMED AFTER THE GREEK BATTLE WHERE THE SPARTANS, IN A DISPLAY OF GREAT / COURAGE, FOUGHT THE PERSIANS TO THE LAST MAN. / THOROUGHLY SYMBOLIC IN ITS ABSTRACT SHAPES, BASICALLY ORGANIC IN FORM, THE HEAVY / FORMS CONTRAST WITH THIN, SOLID WITH OPEN, VERTICAL WITH HORIZONTAL, AND ROUND / WITH ANGULAR. THROUGH THE EFFECT OF THE SUN, RAIN, AND SNOW ON THE SCULPTURE, / THE VIEWER IS PROVIDED WITH EVER CHANGING VISUAL AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES.
The sculpture was surveyed by the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
's "
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999.
History
Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...
" program in 1997.
[
]
See also
* 1966 in art
Events from the year 1966 in art.
Events
* May 19–September 19 – Display of prints by Victorian artist Aubrey Beardsley at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London; in July it is threatened with prosecution for obscenity.
* July – The Chicag ...
References
External links
*
{{Public art in Boston
1966 establishments in Massachusetts
1966 sculptures
Abstract sculptures in the United States
Bronze sculptures in Massachusetts
Government Center, Boston
Monuments and memorials in Boston
Outdoor sculptures in Boston