Do you recognize this sculpture? Few sculptures in the world are as famous. We know it as the Statue of Liberty, but its actual name is Liberty Enlightening the World. French artist Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed this smaller sculpture and the colossal sculpture in New York Harbor. The sculpture in New York was a gift to the United States from France to symbolize the friendship between the two countries.

In 1856, when Bartholdi was 22 years old, he traveled to Egypt. He was mesmerized by the size of the gigantic Sphinx and the pyramids he saw there. His imagination grew and he decided to make large works of art.

Artists who design large sculptures often make smaller copies like the sculpture pictured here. Since this sculpture is smaller in scale than the one in New York it is easy to see its details such as her face and the plaque she is holding. What details can you see? What is the relationship between this sculpture and the larger one?

Making a huge sculpture takes teamwork. There were many people who helped make the Statue of Liberty, like ironworkers and builders. Bartholdi had help from the famous engineer Gustave Eiffel, who designed Paris's best known landmark, the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel engineered the inside of the Statue of Liberty so that it would be hollow and lightweight. Eiffel designed Liberty so that visitors can climb up the interior and see a spectacular view of New York City. 

You can see more sculptures when you visit the European art galleries on the third floor of the Ahmanson Building.

Search Collections Online to see another sculpture made by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi called Funerary Genius, 1866.

Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (France 1884-1904)
Liberty Enlightening the World, circa 1884
Bronze, 20 7/8 x 8 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (53 x 21.6 x 16.51 cm) with base
Gift of B. Gerald Cantor (M.82.209.3)
Photo © 2008 Museum Associates / LACMA