Albert Einstein Memorial
 | |
| Designer | Robert Berks |
|---|---|
| Type | Bronze sculpture |
| Completion date | 1979 |
| Dedicated to | Albert Einstein |
The Albert Einstein Memorial is a monumental
Life
The memorial, situated in an elm and holly grove in the southwest corner of the grounds of the
The statue depicts Einstein seated in casual repose on a three-step bench of Mount Airy (North Carolina) white granite. The bronze figure weighs approximately 4 tons and is 12 feet in height. The monument is supported by three caissons, totaling 135 tons, sunk in bedrock to a depth of 23 to 25 feet.,[3] It was cast at Modern Art Foundry, Astoria Queens, NY.
The sculptor, Robert Berks, known for his portrait busts and statues (
Einstein was elected a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 1922, the year after he won the Nobel Prize in physics, and became a member of the Academy in 1942, two years after he became a naturalized American citizen.[3]
Berks created two replicas of his 1979 monument. One of the replicas can presently be viewed in the academy garden of the
Platform
To a visitor standing at the center of the dais, Einstein appears to be making direct eye contact, and any spoken words are notably amplified.
Description
Engraved as though written on the papers held in the statue's left hand are three equations, summarizing three of Einstein's most important scientific advances:
- (the general theory of relativity)
- (the photoelectric effect)
- (the equivalence of energy and matter)
Along the back of the bench, behind the statue, three famous quotations from the scientist are inscribed. They were selected to reflect Einstein's sense of wonder, scientific integrity, and concern for social justice.[1] They are :
- "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."
- "Joy and amazement at the beauty and grandeur of this world of which man can just form a faint notion ..."
- "The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true."
In popular and artistic culture
The statue was filmed and subsequently used in the opening title sequence of Sesame Street during the show's 20th season.
A copy of the Albert Einstein Memorial made of 100% dark and white chocolate was once on display in the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC.[5]
In July 2012, the sculpture was
See also
References
- ^ a b c The Einstein Memorial at the National Academies: A Visitor's Guide (pamphlet), National Academies
- .
- ^ a b c "The Einstein Memorial". The NAS Building. National Academy of Science. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
- ^ Braukman, Stacy (December 10, 2015). "The Art of Genius". Georgia Tech Newsroom. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ "Chocolate Einstein". Physics Central. American Physical Society. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ^ Freed, Benjamin (July 19, 2012). "Albert Einstein Memorial Gets Yarn-Bombed". DCist.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2014. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
External links
- Einstein, Albert: Statue at the Nat'l Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. DCmemorials.com
- Albert Einstein (sculpture), Save Outdoor Sculpture survey, Art Inventories Catalog, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS)
