Atlas, Bronze statue at Rockefeller Center, New York City, USA
Atlas is a bronze sculpture at the entrance courtyard of the International Building at Rockefeller Center in New York City. The muscular figure kneels on a stone pedestal while lifting a hollow armillary sphere made of bronze rings above itself, showing zodiac signs and celestial paths.
Lee Lawrie designed the figure in 1937 together with Rene Paul Chambellan, and the foundry Roman Bronze Works in Queens cast the finished work. The piece emerged as part of the large building program at Rockefeller Center during the late 1930s.
The name recalls the Greek Titan who carried the sky, and today the figure often serves as a popular meeting point near the building entrance. Visitors use the steps around the base as a resting spot and photo backdrop, while pedestrians hurry past on their way between offices and shops.
The sculpture stands openly accessible in the courtyard facing the Fifth Avenue entrance and is easily visible from the street. Those who want to examine it closely can walk up the steps to the base and see details of the rings and figure up close.
The entire construction of figure and sphere weighs about 6.4 metric tons (14,000 pounds), and the armillary sphere turns its north-south axis to point toward the North Star. This angle is not accidental but reflects the latitude of New York.
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