''Freedom'' is a
bronze public sculpture in the form of a large slab and a freestanding statue by American sculptor
Zenos Frudakis, installed in 2000 outside the offices of
GlaxoSmithKline
GSK plc (an acronym from its former name GlaxoSmithKline plc) is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with headquarters in London. It was established in 2000 by a Mergers an ...
in central
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, Pennsylvania. The sculpture invites viewers to pose for a photograph in an empty cavity.
Background
The sculptor, Zenos Frudakis, wanted to create a sculpture centering around the idea of breaking free.
The slab is said to represent freedom from all restrictions: mental, political, religious, and physical,
and has been called a "visual metaphor for the process of transformation".
Design
The sculpture, completed in 2000 and dedicated on June 18, 2001,
consists of a bronze slab weighing and a freestanding bronze statue.
It is installed at ground level on a wall outside the Philadelphia offices of GlaxoSmithKline on
Vine Street
Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...
.
''Freedom'' centers around four human figures depicted in different stages of freeing themselves in the slab. The rightmost figure has broken free and stands away from the slab with outstretched arms. Frudakis left the inscription "stand here" in the cavity vacated by the figure as an invitation for viewers to pose for a photograph.
Frudakis cast his own face and his sculpting tools as part of the artwork, and included depictions of twenty-five people and a cat in the bronze.
Reception
''Freedom'' has been recognized as one of the best public art sculptures.
''Architectural Digest'' called it one of the "28 of the Most Fascinating Public Sculptures" in 2019.
Writing in ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' in 2021,
John Rentoul
John Tindal Rentoul (born 25 September 1958) is a British journalist. He became the chief political commentator for ''The Independent'' in 2004.
Early life
Rentoul was born in India, where his father was a minister of the Church of South Indi ...
ranked the sculpture fifth on his top-ten list of best public artworks.
Explanatory notes
References
External links
* {{Commons category inline, Freedom Sculpture
2000 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Pennsylvania
Outdoor sculptures in Philadelphia
Tourist attractions in Philadelphia
Sculptures by Zenos Frudakis