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Catalog Data

Designer:
Halprin, Lawrence 1916-2009  Search this
Sculptor:
Baskin, Leonard 1922-2000  Search this
Estern, Neil 1926-  Search this
Graham, Robert 1938-2008  Search this
Hardy, Tom 1921-2016  Search this
Segal, George 1924-2000  Search this
Carver:
Benson, John Everett 1939-  Search this
Stonecutter:
Hemmech, Dean  Search this
Kussatz, Kraug  Search this
Leither, Wally  Search this
Maile, LaVern  Search this
Sabrowsky, Mervile  Search this
Assistant:
Moss, Joe  Search this
Contractor:
Cold Spring Granite Company  Search this
William V. Walsh Construction Company  Search this
Subject:
Roosevelt, Franklin D  Search this
Roosevelt, Eleanor  Search this
Medium:
Bronze, Carnelian granite and plant material
Type:
Sculptures-Outdoor Sculpture
Sculptures
Owner/Location:
Administered by United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Washington District of Columbia
Located West Potomac Park Between Tidal Basin, Ohio Drive, and Potomac River Washington District of Columbia
Date:
Designed 1978. 1991, 1994-1997. Dedicated May 2, 1997. Wheel-chair figure of Roosevelt added: Jan. 2001
Notes:
Art Inventory staff, 1999, 2001.
Dupre, Judith, "Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory," New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2007, pg. 174-181.
Image on file.
Dupre, Judith, "Monuments: America's History in Art and Memory," New York, NY: Random House, Inc., 2007, pg. 174-181.
(Plaza includes timeline of important dates and events from FDR's life) (Text on Graham New Deal Social Policy panels also appears in Braille)
The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.
Summary:
An elaborate landscaped memorial setting with shade trees, waterfalls, statuary and alcoves. The memorial is divided into a forecourt and four outdoor galleries, one for each of Roosevelt's four terms in office. In the forecourt is a life-size bronze statue of Roosevelt, seated in a wheel chair. He faces the Washington Monument, chin uplifted. The adjacent outdoor gallery "rooms" are defined by walls of red South Dakota granite and by ornamental plantings; guotations from FDR are carved into the granite. The first room introduces Roosevelt's early Presidency (1932-1936), when he launched the New Deal. A relief sculpture depicts his first inauguration., with a scene of Roosevelt riding in a car waving at crowds. There is also a bronze sculpture of The Presidential Seal and a Roman-American eagle, with wings spread before a circle ringed with stars.
The second room (Social Policy, 1936-1940) features an urban breadline with five men huddled together; a farmer dressed in overalls, standing next to a seated woman; and a man listening to a fireside chat on the radio. New Deal social and economic programs are depicted in surrounding bronze panels. Scenes include a woman cleaning, a factory grinding machine, construction workers, and a dam laborer carrying a drill from the Tennessee Valley Authority project. In the third room (War Years, 1940-1944), Roosevelt appears seated in a dining room chair with roller casters and wearing a floor-length cape, with his dog Fala seated nearby. The fourth room (Seeds of Peace, 1944-1955), includes a full-length statue of Eleanor Roosevelt standing before the seal of the United Nations and bas-relief scenes of Roosevelt's funeral. Waterfalls throughout the memorial allude to Roosevelt as an avid boater, and former Secretary of Navy. The memorial is lit at night.
Topic:
Portrait male--Full length  Search this
Occupation--Political--President  Search this
Portrait female--Full length  Search this
Animal--Dog  Search this
Animal--Portrait--Fala  Search this
Ceremony--Civic--Inauguration  Search this
Ceremony--Funeral  Search this
Figure group  Search this
State of Being--Mood--Desolation  Search this
State of Being--Disabled--Physical Disability  Search this
Recreation--Leisure--Radio  Search this
Animal--Bird--Eagle  Search this
Emblem--Seal  Search this
Control number:
IAS 71500337
Data Source:
Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museums
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:siris_ari_344027