TheAstronomers Monument in front ofGriffith Observatory inLos Angeles, California is aNew Deal artwork created under the auspices of thePublic Works of Art Project. The large outdoor concrete sculpture honors the work of six greatastronomers and is aGriffith Park landmark in its own right.
TheAstronomers Monument pays homage to six of the greatest astronomers of all time:
In December 1933, theLos Angeles Park Commission and thePublic Works of Art Project (PWAP) commissioned a sculpture project for the grounds of the under-construction Griffith Observatory. Using a design by local artistArchibald Garner and materials donated by the Women's Auxiliary of theLos Angeles Chamber of Commerce, six artists—Garner,Roger Noble Burnham (creator ofUSC'sTommy Trojan),Djey El Djey (1905-1980, real name Djey Owens),Gordon Newell (1905–1998),[1]George Stanley (creator of the famousOscar statuette presented at theAcademy Awards), andArnold Foerster (1878–1943)—sculpted and cast the concrete monument and figures.[2] Each artist was responsible for sculpting one astronomer: Stanley did Newton,[3] Garner sculpted Copernicus,[4] Newell was responsible for Kepler,[5] etc. (Burnhammay have created the depiction of Herschel; the authorship of the Hipparchus and Galileo figures is unclear.)
According to theLos Angeles Times art criticArthur Millier in 1934, the "original idea" was Foerster's, and he was "responsible for the delicate engineering entailed in pouring a forty-foot concrete shaft."[2] The monument is topped with anarmillary sphere, originally concrete, replaced with a bronze piece in 1991.[4]
On November 25, 1934, almost six months prior to the opening of the Observatory on May 14, 1935, a celebration took place to mark completion of theAstronomers Monument. The only "signature" on theAstronomers Monument is "PWAP 1934," referring to the program which funded the project and the year in which it was completed.
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