Existing comment:
Peace Monument
The statue 'Mir' (Peace), one of the symbols of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, is the work of the renowned Croatian sculptor Antun Augustinčić (1900, Klanjec – 1979, Zagreb). The sculptor himself came to the United States in 1952 to choose and propose a UN ground site for the 16' high bronze statue.
The female equestrian sculpture leading the world to peace was cast in bronze in Zagreb in 1954 and its 33 feet high pedestal was made of marble from the Croatian island of Brač. It was then transported by ship from Rijeka to New York, originally as a gift of the government of the former Yugoslavia, and placed on the North Lawn of the United Nations Headquarters.
Carrying an olive branch in one hand and a globe in the other, with a cloak fluttering on her back and on a horse in a stance suggesting a powerful forward movement, She is symbolically leading the Nations of the World towards Peace.
In September 2017, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Croatia's membership in the United Nations the gift is undergoing a major restoration to its original condition.
The information stand at the monument contains a QR code with a dedicated website, a first of its kind relating to any work of art at the UNHQ. |