Carl Milles
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"Systrarna" (=The sisters)
Signed Milles. Foundry mark L. Rasmussen Kjøbenhavn. The motif conceived 1952. Bronze, green patina. Height 84 cm.
Provenance
Carl Milles started working on the magnificent “Fountain of Faith” in the National Memorial Park in Virginia, just outside Washington, in 1939 but the fountain was not finished until 1952. Milles' original order and thought was that the fountain should consist of 17 sculptures in total, set in a large pool. But as the work started, creativity took over and in the end the fountain are a total of 38 figures. "Sisters" is one of these independent sculpture groups within the “Fountain of Faith”.
The current catalog number was purchased in the early 1990s by Count Adam Wilhelm Knuth in Denmark. The beautiful composition was placed on the so called "Sisters Island" in the popular Knuthenborg Park in Denmark, where it was set as a fountain sculpture with running water.
Literature
Henrik Cornell, "Milles skönhetsvärld", 1957. Compare Millesgårdens copy ill. pl. 58.
Henrik Cornell, "Carl Milles, hans verk", 1963, compare motif from Fountain of faith in Washington, described at p. 130-131, ill. at p. 132 anf full page in colour p.176 (there called "Systrarnas återförening").
Erik Näslund, "Carl Milles - en biografi", 1991, the motif described and illustrated at pp. 283-285.
Artist
Carl Milles was a Swedish sculptor born in Lägga. He studied at the Technical School in Stockholm, at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Auguste Rodin and on study trips to Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Paris he came to stay for many years and made a living as an ornament carver. He studied the animals in the Jardin des Plantes (the Zoological Garden) and was strongly influenced by Auguste Rodin. Milles made a breakthrough with a monument to Sten Sture in Uppsala. He exhibited at the World's Fair in 1900 and was later given a solo exhibition at the Tate Gallery in London. Milles was professor of modeling at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Well-known sculptures in public places signed by Carl Milles are the "Gustav Vasa" statue at the Nordic Museum, "Orfeusgruppen" outside the concert hall in Stockholm and the "Poseidonfontänen" in Gothenburg.
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