Peace Monuments by Carl Milles [1875-1955] & Marshall Fredericks [1908-1998]

Click here biographic information about Carl Milles [1875-1955].
Click here biographic information about Marshall Fredericks [1908-1998].

Right click image to enlarge.

About 1930 - Poseidon Fountain, Avenyn, Göteborg (Sweden). By Carl Milles [1875-1955]. "When Fredericks first spotted Milles high on a scaffold working on a clay figure for his Poseidon fountain, he was overwhelmed. 'Seeing this famous man and his huge sculpture was like being struck by lightning....I had never seen anything like that in Cleveland. It was so beautiful and mysterious. That's when I decided I wanted to make big sculpture.'"

1936 - "Vision of Peace," Memorial Concourse, St. Paul City Hall, St. Paul, Minnesota (USA). Also called "Indian God of Peace." Largest carved onyx figure in the world. Weighs 60 tons & oscillates 66 degrees left & right. Although dedicated in 1936 to the war veterans of Ramsey County, pacifist sculptor Carl Milles [1875-1955] sipulated that it should symbolize world peace. Officially named "Vision of Peace" in 1994. Milles also created "God the Father of the Rainbow" in Stockholm, Sweden (qv). Entry #542 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

May 1940 - "The Wedding of the Waters," Aloe Plaza (opposite railway station), St. Louis, Missouri (USA). Symbolizes the Missouri & Mississippi Rivers merging just North of St. Louis. Unveiled to a crowd of about 3000 people, the fountain caused a local uproar because of its playful, irreverent, naked & nearly cartoonish figures, and because Swedish sculptor Carl Milles [1875-1955] had conceived the group as a wedding party with undeniable sexual overtones. The city insisted that the name be changed to "The Meeting of the Waters."

1948 - "Dream Plaques," LSA Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA).

1950 - "Ann Arbor Eagle," Stadium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA).

1952 - "Peace Memorial," Shain Park, Birmingham, Michigan (USA).

1958 - "Spirit of Detroit," Detroit, Michigan (USA). "In its left hand, the large seated figure holds a gilt bronze sphere emanating rays to symbolize God. In its right hand, is a family group symbolizing all human relationships. The 26-foot (7.9 m) sculpture was the largest cast bronze statue since the Renaissance when it was first installed. It was cast in Oslo (Norway)."

S C U L P T

1963 - "Expanding Universe" Fountain, Foreign Service Court, Harry S. Truman Building, US Department of State, Washington, DC (USA). By Marshall M. Fredericks & commissioned for the US Government by the General Services Administration (GSA). According to Fredericks, the sculpture "represents this age of great interest, exploration and discovery in outer space...[and] the immensity, order & mystery of the universe."

1964 - Peace Arising from the Flames of War, Fountain of Eternal Life, Veterans’ Memorial Plaza, Cleveland, Ohio (USA). 46-foot sculpture by Marshall Fredericks [1908-1998] which took 19 years to complete. Surrounded by four carved blocks of granite representing the four corners of the earth. Also known as "War Memorial Fountain" and "Peace Memorial Fountain."

1964 - "Freedom of the Human Spirit," New York World's Fair, Flushing Meadow, Queens, New York City, New York (USA). By Marshall W. Fredericks [1908-1998]. Moved in 1996 to the main entrance of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, National Tennis Center (NTC), also in Flushing (right image). The artist made a second casting of the 28-foot tall sculpture in 1986, and it was installed in his hometown, Birmingham, Michigan (qv).

November 1970 - "The Hand of God," Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, Detroit, Michigan (USA). By Carl Milles [1875-1955]. Sculpted shortly before Mille's death but not dedicated until 1970. "Honors Frank Murphy [1890-1949], Detroit Mayor, Michigan Governor & US Supreme Court Associate Justice. Placed on a pedestal with the help of sculptor Marshall Fredericks. Commissioned by the United Automobile Workers (UAW) and paid for by individual donations from UAW members."

1972 - "American Eagle," Gerald R. Ford Museum & Burial Site, 303 Pearl Street NW, Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504-5353 (USA). NB: Ford Library is at different address: 1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Gerald Ford [1913-2006] was US president 1974-1977. The eagle statue in front of the museum is by Marshall Fredericks. Installed in September 1981? Nearby is at the Van Andel Museum Center is "Flying Geese," spulpted by Fredericks in 1981.

1986 - "Freedom of the Human Spirit," Shain Park, Birmingham, Michigan (USA). By Marshall W. Fredericks [1908-1998]. Same as 1964 sculpture in Queens, New York (qv). The artist made a second casting of the 28-foot tall sculpture in 1986, and it was installed in his hometown, Birmingham, Michigan..

1988 - Marhall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum & Sculpture Garden, Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, , University Center, Michigan (USA)

September 8, 1995 - "Gud Fader på Himmelsbågen" / "God the Father of the Rainbow" (The Lord placing new stars in heaven), Nacka Strand, Stockholm (Sweden). Sculpted by Swedist pacifist Carl Milles [1875-1955] & his American student, Marshall M. Fredericks [1908-1998]. Milles also sculpted "Vision of Peace" in St. Paul, Minnesota (1936). Fredericks also sculped "Freedom of the Human Spirit" in Queens, New York (1964), & Birmingham, Michigan (1986). Compare "Man Walking to the Sky" by American Johnthan Borofsky [b. 1942] in Kassel, Strasborug, Pittsburgh & Seoul (1992-2008).

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