Government of the People - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 57.226 W 075° 09.839
18S E 485993 N 4422638
This statue was erected in commemoration of the two hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The sculptor is Jacques Lipchitz and the statue of course was completed in 1976.
Waymark Code: WM9F5Z
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/12/2010
Views: 16
The statue is located @ the Municipal Services Building, northwest corner, North Broad Street and JFK Blvd. In 1976, his monumental sculpture Government of the People (1965-1976) sculpture was posthumously unveiled opposite City Hall. The statue features a big group of people, kneeling and crushed with an inscription which reads Symbolizing family life "the wellspring of society, the hope of the future" and the concept of government being of, by, and for the people, this sculpture is dedicated to the people of Philadelphia.
Commissioned specifically for this plaza as part of the percent for art program, Government of the People was designed as a symbol for democracy. According to various sources it depicts a family--father, mother, two children--supporting a young couple at the top, the hope for the future. The banner they hold at the top has the seal of the city of Philadelphia.
The inscription on the statue reads:
Erected
In Commemoration Of
The Two Hundredth Anniversary
Of
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
July 4, 1776 - July 4, 1976
By
The City of Philadelphia
And
The Fairmount Park Art Association
I found this on another site: After fleeing Europe before World War II, Jacques Lipchitz ended up in New York, where he became one of the 20th century’s major artists. Some of his best work is in Philadelphia, including the monumental Government of the People, a 30-foot, totem-like sculpture in the Municipal Services Building Plaza. Among the twining human limbs, look for a family group (father, mother and child) at the bottom and a man and woman at the top holding a form that represents the Philadelphia banner. Park Avenue Theatre - Merchantville, NJ
I also found this listed on the Smithsonian Inventory Site. The site is listed below. They describe the statue as A mass of figures melded together in a tall spiral. At the base there is a family group of a mother, father and child to symbolize where life begins. Above them is a young couple to symbolize hope for the future. At the top are two figures, a man and a woman, holding a banner of Philadelphia. The sculpture illustrates how democracy is a struggle which triumphs through mutual support and dedication.
The sculpture is made of bronze with a stone and concrete base. Its dimensions are 360 inches high with its base being approximately 144 inches in height. Some final remarks on the page as well were: SOS! surveyor was not able to complete the condition portion of the survey because the sculpture was fenced off during renovation of the Municipal Service Building plaza. The sculpture was originally commissioned under the city's fine arts requirement, but the Fairmount Park Art Association took over the project in order to have it completed in time for the nation's Bicentennial.
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