Atlas
Atlas is a bronze statue in the courtyard of the International Building at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York, facing Fifth Avenue across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Installed in 1937, it was created by sculptor Lee Lawrie with assistance from Rene Paul Chambellan. The Art Deco sculpture depicts the mythical titan Atlas holding the celestial sphere on his shoulders, standing on one muscular leg atop a small stone pedestal. It is the largest sculpture in Rockefeller Center. The work drew early protest over a likeness to Benito Mussolini and later became associated with objectivism and Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead. Atlas is also a familiar image in popular culture, appearing in 30 Rock and in photographs of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
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Identification | |
| Title | Atlas |
| Type | Bronze statue |
| Alternative name | Atlante; Statue of Atlas |
Historical context | |
| Date installed | 1937 |
Creator | |
| Artist | Lee Lawrie |
| Assistant | Rene Paul Chambellan |
| Foundry | Roman Bronze Works, a subsidiary of the General Bronze Corporation in Corona, Queens |
Location and ownership | |
| Location | Courtyard of the International Building, Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States |
| Position relative to nearby landmark | Across Fifth Avenue from St. Patrick's Cathedral |
| Part of | Rockefeller Center |
| Orientation | Faces Fifth Avenue, with the front corner of the pedestal toward Fifth Avenue |
Physical characteristics | |
| Pose | Standing on one muscular leg |
| Scale comparison | About the height of a four-story building |
| Pedestal | Small stone pedestal |
| Size note | The largest sculpture in Rockefeller Center |
| Weight | Seven tons |
| Height with pedestal | 13.5 meters |
| Height | 4.57 meters |
Materials | |
| Material | Bronze |
Style | |
| Style | Art Deco |
Appearance | |
| Armillary sphere | An armillary sphere rests on Atlas's shoulders |
| Sphere alignment | The sphere's north-south axis points toward the position of the North Star as seen from New York City |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Artistic features | Exaggerated musculature and stylized body |
| Depicted action | Holding the celestial vault on his shoulders |
| Subject | Atlas, the ancient Greek titan who holds up the heavens |
History and restoration | |
| Unveiling controversy | At the 1937 unveiling, some people protested that the statue resembled Benito Mussolini |
| Comment by James Montgomery Flagg | He said Atlas looked too much like Mussolini thinks he looks |
Significance | |
| Interpretation | Often associated with the Objectivist movement |
| Literary association | Associated with Ayn Rand's 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged |
| Chronology note | The statue predates the Objectivist movement |
| Media appearances | Appears in almost every episode of the television series 30 Rock and in numerous establishing shots of 30 Rockefeller Plaza |
| Related replica | Most Rainforest Cafe locations have a similar statue in a waterfall with a fountain and the words "Rescue The Rainforest" in green neon letters around the globe's equator |
| Influence | Ridley Scott cited the sculpture as aesthetic inspiration for the character Mother in HBO Max's Raised by Wolves |