A large bronze statue that depicts a famous figure from ancient Greece mythology sits in front of the Rockefeller Center in New York, New York. Holding the heavens on his shoulders, Atlas has become an icon that is associated with the Rockefeller Center and also used as a means of identity for the building and community across New York and beyond.
Blending into the Urban Setting of New York
Created by Lee Lawrie and Rene Paul Chambellan, Atlas was a half-man, half-god giant known as a Titan who helped lead a war against the Olympic gods. After the Titans were defeated, Atlas was condemned to hold up the sky as punishment. This myth defines the depiction of the Atlas sculpture that similarly holds the weight of a world.
Installed in 1937 and weighing over seven tons, the piece depicts Atlas holding the world high above his head. It blends into the urban setting of New York City and with Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, which sits across the street from it.
The sculpture of Atlas itself is 15 feet tall, while the entire piece that includes the globe is over 45 feet tall. Created in the Art Deco style that defines the Rockefeller Center, the globe is decorated with the twelve signs of the zodiac. The North-South axis of the sphere on Atlas’ shoulders points towards the North Star as seen from New York City.
Atlas is one of Rockefeller Center’s most prominent Art Deco icons but has been utilized in countless ways, including on U.S. postage stamps. Entire movements have used it as a symbol, allowing audiences across New York and beyond to interpret the meaning of the piece in countless ways. That includes the Rockefeller Center itself when it comes to marketing campaigns, merchandise and more.
This variety has cultivated activity for the Rockefeller Center and the entire city of New York, enabling it to become an icon that resonates with audiences in multiple ways, for countless reasons.
A Legacy of Engagement and Opportunity
Atlas is the result of an effort to purposely integrate art into the grand design scheme of the Rockefeller construction project. It highlights what kind of possibilities can be opened up when stakeholders purposefully enable the creation of monuments as part of a larger plan.
Atlas has proven how doing so can define icons for a project and beyond which opens up countless opportunities in the short and long term.
