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Albert Einstein

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Artist/Creator (1)	Berks, Robert (born 1922)
Artist/Creator (1).Role	artist, sculptor
Artist/Creator (2)	Seidelmann, P. Kenneth
Artist/Creator (2).Role	astronomer, designer
Artist/Creator (3)	Schmidt, Richard E.
Artist/Creator (3).Role	astronomer, designer
Title/Caption	Albert Einstein
Variant Title/Caption	Albert Einstein Memorial
Date of Work	Dedicated April 22, 1979.
Inscription	[Behind bench:] 'The right to search for truth / implies also a duty; / one must not conceal / any part / of what one has recognized / to be true' / 'Joy and amazement at the beauty and grandeur of this world / of which man can just form a faint notion' / 'As long as I have any choice / in the matter, I shall /live only in a country where / civil liberty, tolerance / and equality of all citizens / before the law prevail'
Description of View	General view of sculpture and base
Notes	Sponsor/Developer: Funding for the memorial came from private sources. A committee of noted public figures, representing the heads of such corporations and organizations as I.B.M, A.T and T., the National Gallery of Art and others, met to discuss ways of financing a memorial commemorating the 100th anniversary of Einstein's birth. $1.5 million was raised to complete the sculpture and to prepare the base and grounds. Most of the money came from contributions provided from the scientific community. The project was sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences. Philip Handler, President of the Academy, provided the leadership for the memorial project. Project Description: The bronze figure of Einstein rests on a semi-circular white granite bench. The top of the seated figure is twelve feet from the ground, and rests on the middle of the three-step bench as he contemplates the universe at his feet. 'In his left hand is a pad of paper bearing three of Einstein's most important equations: a mathematical formula for the theory of relativity, the equation for the equivalence of energy and matter, and the equation for the photoelectric effect, for which Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize' (Press Release, National Academy of Sciences 11/13/1978). The pad also serves as a map of the universe, with 2,700 inlaid stainless steel studs representing stars forming '...the universe of his contemplation'. The stars and other celestial objects are positioned as they were at noon on April 22, 1979, when the memorial was unveiled and dedicated at an Academy Convocation. [Note that the vendor Art On File incorrectly states that 'the pad also serves as a map of the universe'. The star map is in fact embedded into the base at Einstein's feet. 'The map was designed with the help of Seidelmann and Schmidt, U.S. Naval Observatory astronomers.' See Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) entry on Albert Einstein, (sculpture). Note also that the vendor Art On File and SIRIS differ on the height of the figure. The vendor gives the height as 12 ft., SIRIS gives the height as 21 ft.] Project History: Philip Handler developed the idea for the memorial to Einstein two years prior to the 100th anniversary of Einstein's birth. He felt that it would be a fitting tribute to the most distinguished theoretical scientist of the twentieth century. Through conversations with Senator Harrison Williams, Handler had discovered that Robert Berks had long before planned a monument to Albert Einstein. Handler felt that Berks was highly qualified to do the sculpture because he possessed skills in architecture, sculpture, and engineering which would be required to construct a great monument. Further, Berks based his memorial statue on a figurative sculpture he did of Einstein from life in 1953, and with which Einstein had been very pleased. [see also SIRIS entry on Albert Einstein, (sculpture) http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=1303743Y0B816.65900andmenu=searchandaspect=Keywordandnpp=50andipp=20andspp=20andprofile=ariallandri=andterm=andindex=.GWandx=0andy=0andaspect=Keywordandterm=andindex=.AWandterm=einstein+memorialandindex=.TWandterm=andindex=.SWandterm=andindex=.FWandterm=andindex=.OWandterm=andindex=.NW
Technique/Process	sculpture, metalworking, casting
Materials/Medium	Figure: bronze. Bench: Mount Airy white granite and emerald pearl granite, with stainless steel studs.
Dimensions	Sculpture, Ht: ca. 21 ft. Astronomical chart, Diam.: ca. 28 ft.
Century	20th Century
Location.Current Site/City & Country	Washington, D.C. (United States)
Location.Current Repository	National Academy of Sciences
Subject	Sculpture, American Sculpture, 20th Century Public sculpture Memorials Portraits, male Figures, male Physicists Astronomical charts
Publisher	ART on FILE
Publisher.Location	ART on FILE. 1837 East Shelby St. Seattle, Washington 98112 (United States). www.artonfile.com
Set/Project Title	Contemporary Monuments and Memorials
Reference Number	Art on File MM-7(2)-1
Collection Title	Sculpture (Art and Art History Department images)
Collection Information	Collection administered by Visual Resources manager, Architecture Library (402) 472-1193
Copyright Information	http://contentdm.unl.edu/ah_copyright.html

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