Zenos Frudakis facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Zenos Frudakis, born on July 7, 1951, is a talented American sculptor. He creates many different types of art, including large monuments, memorials, and statues of famous people, athletes, and animals. For over fifty years, he has made huge sculptures and more than 150 statues of people. His art can be found in public and private collections all over the United States and in other countries. Frudakis lives and works near Philadelphia. He is most famous for his sculpture Freedom, which shows people breaking free from a wall in downtown Philadelphia. You can also see his amazing works at places like Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina, and even in England, Japan, and South Africa.

Quick facts for kids Zenos Frudakis
Zenos Frudakis working on his sculpture of Frederick Law Olmsted.
Born	(1951-07-07) July 7, 1951 (age 74) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Education	Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; University of Pennsylvania
Known for	Sculpture
Notable work	Freedom, United States Air Force Memorial Honor Guard, Knowledge is Power, Payne Stewart at Pinehurst Golf Course

About Zenos Frudakis

Zenos Frudakis was born in San Francisco on July 7, 1951. He was the oldest of five children. His parents were Greek-American, and he grew up mostly in Indiana. When he was a little boy, Zenos started sculpting with bread dough under his kitchen table. His mother gave it to him while she was baking.

From a young age, Zenos loved drawing and reading. This started his habit of studying and making art every day. He found inspiration from ancient Greek artists. He also admired famous sculptors like Michelangelo, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, and Auguste Rodin.

Zenos first went to college near his home in Indiana. He worked in steel mills during the summers. In 1972, he moved to Philadelphia to study art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He also learned sculpture from his older brother, Evangelos Frudakis, who was a prize-winning artist. Zenos continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania, earning two degrees in Fine Arts.

Zenos Frudakis' Art Career

In 1976, Zenos Frudakis married Rosalie Gluchoff. They opened an art gallery and studio in Philadelphia. One of Zenos' first big projects was a sculpture of Samuel L. Evans. He also created statues of important leaders like Wilson Goode, a former mayor of Philadelphia. Another sculpture honored K. Leroy Irvis, the first African American Speaker of the House in a state legislature.

Sculpting People and Portraits

Zenos Frudakis became well-known for sculpting people and their portraits. He made many large statues, busts (sculptures of just the head and shoulders), and reliefs (sculptures that stick out from a flat surface). He wanted his sculptures to show the true personality of the people he created.

His portrait statues include famous figures like businessman John D. MacArthur in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He also sculpted Dame Lois Browne-Evans, who was the first female judge in Bermuda. Another important work is of Frederick Law Olmsted, a famous landscape architect, located in Asheville, North Carolina.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sculpture

A sculpture of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Freedom sculpture.

Zenos Frudakis created a life-size sculpture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. At that time, South Africa had a system called apartheid, which separated people unfairly. The U.S. government wanted to show it was against this system.

Bringing the sculpture into South Africa was difficult. It was brought in secretly in 1989. The sculpture was placed inside the embassy's fence. This way, people could see it, and it showed America's strong message against unfair treatment.

Clarence Darrow Statue

In 2017, Zenos Frudakis created a statue of lawyer Clarence Darrow. It was placed outside the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee. This courthouse was famous for a trial in 1925. During that trial, a teacher named John T. Scopes was accused of teaching about human evolution. Clarence Darrow was his lawyer.

Another statue of the prosecutor, William Jennings Bryan, was already on the lawn. The Darrow sculpture was added to show both sides of this historic event. Some people in the area had different opinions about the statue.

Sculptures of Sports Heroes

Zenos Frudakis has made many bronze sculptures of famous athletes. These include busts, statues, and large monuments for sports like golf, baseball, hockey, and boxing.

Payne Stewart at Pinehurst

One of Frudakis' most famous sports sculptures is of golfer Payne Stewart. It shows him in a joyful pose, with one leg in the air and a fist raised to the sky. This bronze statue is at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. It marks the spot where Stewart won the U.S. Open in 1999.

The sculpture was revealed in 2001. In 2014, many people took photos with the statue, copying Stewart's famous pose. It became a very popular image.

More Golf Legends

Golfer Arnold Palmer with his portrait statue.

Frudakis also sculpted other golf legends. These include statues of Arnold Palmer in Georgia and Ireland. He created Jack Nicklaus sculptures for the USGA Museum and Valhalla Golf Club. Other works feature Dinah Shore, Bob Jones, and Robert H. Dedman, Sr. and Richard Tufts. Frudakis even designed a special bronze trophy called The Arnie. It is given to golfers who do a lot of good for others.

Baseball Greats

You can see Frudakis' huge sculptures of Baseball Hall of Famers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. These include Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Richie Ashburn, and Robin Roberts. He also made a touching statue of Joe DiMaggio at a children's hospital in Florida. It shows DiMaggio talking to a young boy, with a message about helping children.

Boxer James J. Braddock

Frudakis created a large bronze statue of world champion boxer James J. Braddock. Braddock was known as "the Cinderella Man." The statue is 10 feet tall and weighs 1500 pounds. It stands in James J. Braddock North Hudson Park in New Jersey, where the boxer once lived. The sculpture was revealed on September 27, 2018. Braddock's grandson said the statue reminds everyone that the human spirit can overcome challenges with determination.

Hockey Star Brian Propp

A sculpture of National Hockey League All-Star Brian Propp is on display. You can find it at the Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame.

Major Artworks by Zenos Frudakis

Frudakis has sculpted many different subjects using bronze, stainless steel, and clay. His works include monuments, memorials, and statues of people, animals, and historical figures. Some of his most famous pieces are Freedom, the United States Air Force Memorial Honor Guard, Payne Stewart, and Nina Simone.

Frank Rizzo Statue

Frudakis's statue of Philadelphia mayor and police commissioner Frank Rizzo; unveiled 1999 and taken down in 2020

One of Frudakis' early commissions was a statue of Frank Rizzo. He was a mayor and police commissioner in Philadelphia. The statue was unveiled in 1999. Over the years, there were many discussions about his actions and legacy. The statue was removed in 2020 after public protests.

John D. MacArthur Monument

An 8-foot bronze statue honors John D. MacArthur, who founded Palm Beach Gardens. It stands on a 3-foot granite base. The sculpture was unveiled on November 21, 2010. It is located at the city hall entrance in Florida.

Frederick Law Olmsted Sculpture

Frederick Law Olmsted sculpture by Zenos Frudakis.

The North Carolina Arboretum asked Frudakis to create the first large statue of Frederick Law Olmsted. He is known as the father of American landscape architecture. The sculpture was unveiled on April 22, 2016, in Asheville, North Carolina. Frudakis said he wanted to show Olmsted as a visionary. The sculpture shows him holding a map, representing his ideas that shaped the land.

Nina Simone Memorial

The memorial sculpture of Nina Simone shows the "High Priestess of Soul" sitting on a stone base. She is performing on a keyboard that looks like a floating wave. This design brings to mind grace, rhythm, and music. Simone's daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, helped Frudakis by posing for the 8-foot bronze statue. This memorial also holds Nina Simone's ashes inside a sculpted heart within the figure's chest.

The Nina Simone sculpture was dedicated on February 16, 2017. This would have been her 77th birthday. The memorial is in Nina Simone Plaza in her birthplace of Tryon, North Carolina.

Molly Maguires Memorial

The Molly Maguires Memorial is a larger-than-life sculpture. It shows a difficult moment in the group's history, when many lives were lost on June 21, 1877. The sculpture features a single hooded figure on a scaffold. This emotional artwork makes people think about history in a new way. A copy of this sculpture is in the State Museum of Pennsylvania.

Public Monuments

Frudakis' first public monument was The Water Hole. It shows a life-size elephant playfully spraying water on a boy. Other public monuments include Path to Manhood in Dallas. He also created the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monument in Chester, Pennsylvania. His work Knowledge is Power is at Rowan University, and the United States Air Force National Memorial Honor Guard is in Arlington, Virginia. Of course, there is also Freedom in Philadelphia.

Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is Power sculpture by Zenos Frudakis.

This monument was inspired by the quote, "Knowledge is Power." Frudakis created it to encourage learning. The sculpture looks like an open book, 8 feet high and 12 feet wide. From its pages, figures of Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein emerge. These figures represent big changes in how we understand the world.

The sculpture also features faces and quotes from 31 other important figures in science, history, and art. These show different ideas and challenges from many generations. The artwork invites viewers to explore different viewpoints and find their own meaning. It was installed in 2014 at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey.

United States Air Force Memorial Honor Guard

United States Air Force Memorial as seen at night.

The United States Air Force Memorial Honor Guard is a 16-foot-high monument. It features four 8-foot bronze figures standing side by side. They are mounted on a 10-foot bronze base. The two figures in the middle carry the United States and Air Force flags. Two rifle guards stand on either side.

The Honor Guard soldiers in the sculpture represent different backgrounds. They include a Caucasian man, an African American man, a Latino man, and a Caucasian woman. The sculpture stands in front of a granite wall with the names of Medal of Honor recipients. Another wall has Air Force core values: "Integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do." The memorial is near The Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

The monument was dedicated in 2006. About 30,000 people attended the ceremony.

Freedom

Freedom is Zenos Frudakis' most famous public sculpture. It is located in downtown Philadelphia. The monument is 20 feet long, 8 feet high, and weighs 7,000 pounds. It shows a powerful transformation. Figures are seen breaking free from a wall in four different stages.

Frudakis included many smaller sculptures and personal touches within the wall. The back of the sculpture, which is not currently visible, shows what Frudakis calls the "Other Side of Freedom." It features mummified forms in a tomb-like structure.

Zenos Frudakis' Awards

National Endowment for the Arts, development grant for sculpture, 1985
Arts America, United States Information Agency, grant for sculpture, travel, lecturing on art in Africa, 1989
Hakone Award, Utsukushi-ga-hara Open-Air Museum, Rodin Grand Prize, Japan, 1990
Edwin and Theresa Richards Award for Portraiture, National Sculpture Society
Silver Medal of Honor, National Sculpture Society, New York City
President's Prize, Gloria Medal, and Edwin and Theresa Richards Award for Portraiture, National Sculpture Society, NYC
Honorary Doctorate from Accademico Internationale, Rome, Italy, January 25, 1993

Selected Exhibitions

Southern Alleghenies Museum of the Arts, Ligonier, PA, June – November 2013
Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, FL, with National Sculpture Society, 2013
Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC, with National Sculpture Society, 2013
Atwater Kent Museum, Philadelphia, PA, Will We Ever Forget Baseball in Philadelphia, 1876–2004, 2005
Hakone Open-Air Museum, Hakone, Japan, Third Rodin Grand Prize, International Invitational Exhibition, 1990
National Sculpture Society Celebrates the Figure, Chairman/exhibitor, Port of History Museum, Philadelphia, PA, 1987
National Academy of Design, New York, NY, Invited Artist, Juried Annual Exhibitions, 1991, 1993
National Sculpture Society, New York, NY, Juried Annual Exhibitions, 1979–2000
Institute of Contemporary Art, MFA Group Shows, Philadelphia, PA. 1981–1983
National Academy of Design, Juried Annual Exhibitions, New York, NY, 1980, ‘84, ‘86, ’90
Juried Annual Exhibition, "The Figure: Revolving Traditions," Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT. 1991
Chesterwood, Stockbridge, MA
Shidoni Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, 1982, 1992 -1994

International Sculptures

Reaching. Two figures (bronze | 7 ft) Utsukushi-ga-hara Open Air Museum, Japan. 3rd Rodin Grand Prize Exhibition, July 20, 1990.
Honor Guard. Memorial (Bronze | 16 ft) Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England. Dedication 2018.
Martin Luther King and Freedom. Public sculpture (Bronze | life size) Peace Garden, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Dedication October 19, 2018.
Hon. Dame Lois Browne-Evans. Statue (Bronze | life-size) Justice Center, Dame Lois Browne Evans Building (Police/Justice Center) Hamilton, Bermuda. Dedication June 2011.
Arnold Palmer. Statue (Bronze | over-life-size) Tralee Golf Club, Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland. Dedication September 10, 2007.
Dr. Constantine Papadakis. Drexel University President. Portrait bust (Bronze | life size) Town Square, Meskla, Greece. Dedication July 24, 2010.
Lamby (Abigail), Irish Wolfhound. Statue (Bronze | 12 ft × 11 ft) Old Bladbean Stud Garden, Canterbury, Kent, England.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., South Africa. Portrait bust (Bronze, granite base | life size) U.S. Embassy, Pretoria, South Africa. Dedication: January 16, 1989.
Dr. Constantine 'Taki' Papadakis. Memorial (Bronze | life size) Public Square in Meskla, Greece. Dedication: July 24, 2010.

American Sculptures

Zenos Frudakis sculpting Benjamin Franklin.

Over four decades, Frudakis has created many monumental figures. These include the United States Air Force Memorial Honor Guard at Arlington National Cemetery and Freedom in Philadelphia.

Monumental Sculptures

Freedom. Monument (Bronze | 20 ft × 8 ft | 7,000 lbs) 16th and Vine Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Completed 2000. Dedication June 18, 2001.
U.S. Air Force Memorial Honor Guard. Memorial (Bronze | Monument) Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. Dedication: October 14, 2006.
Knowledge is Power. Monument (Bronze | 8 ft × 15 ft | 1,500 lbs) Over 30 portraits from intellectual history, two 8 ft figures free standing. Relief wall portraits: Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Rachel Carson, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Darwin, Albert Einstein, Alan Turing, John Muir, Thoreau. Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey. Dedication November 21, 2014.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Monument (Bronze portrait bust, granite base / 5 ft / 685 lbs) Martin Luther King Park, J. Lewis Crozer Library, Chester, Pennsylvania. Dedication November 23, 2010.
The Path to Manhood. Monument (Bronze | Over-life-size) Perot Quadrangle, St. Mark's School of Texas, Dallas, Texas.

Memorials

U.S. Air Force Memorial Honor Guard. Memorial (Bronze | Monument) Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. Dedication: October 14, 2006.
Molly Maguires Memorial. (Bronze | larger-than-life) Molly Maguires Memorial Park, Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania. Dedication: June 21, 2002
The Workers' Memorial. (Bronze | 8 ft figure, Mayari-r Steel circle, granite base | 2,500 lbs) The Rose Garden, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Sponsored by 20 unions, 15 non-union industries, 3 cities: Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton Pennsylvania. Dedication: April 28, 1991.
Anthracite Miners' Memorial. Relief (Bronze | Left and right panels 6 × 4 ft, central panel 8 ft sq) Giard Park, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Dedication: 1996.
Nina Simone. Memorial (Bronze, local stone | 8 ft figure) Nina Simone Plaza, Tryon, North Carolina. Dedication: February 21, 2010.
Henry L. Bowden. Memorial (Bronze bas-relief | over-life-size) Henry L. Bowden Hall, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Dedication: 1991
Mr. and Mrs Hillenbrand. Memorial (Bronze bas-relief | life size) Batesville Memorial Public Library, Batesville, Indiana. Dedication: 1988.
Veterans Memorial. Memorial (Bronze | over-life-size) Henry L. Bowden Hall, Emory University, Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Dedication: 1991.

Statues

Clarence Darrow. Statue (Bronze | 7 ft) Rhea County Courthouse, Dayton, Tennessee. Dedication: July 14, 2017.
Ellis Arnall. Statue (Bronze | over-life-size) Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, Georgia. Dedication: November 24, 1997.
Frederick Law Olmsted. Statue (Bronze, stone base | 8 ft) Blue Ridge Court, The North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, North Carolina. Dedication: April 22, 2015.
Michael Kahn, former Artistic Director, Shakespeare Theatre Company. Statue (Bronze | life size) Sidney Harman Hall, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington, DC. Private Collection. Completed: 2012.
John D. MacArthur. Statue (Bronze, granite base | 8 ft figure, 3 ft base | 750 lbs) Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Florida. Dedication: November 21, 2010.
Frank L. Rizzo Monument. Statue. (Bronze | over-life-size) Municipal Services Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dedication: January 1, 1999.
- Removed June 3, 2020, after public discussions about his legacy.

Award Sculptures

General MacArthur Award. (Bronze | 14 in.) General MacArthur Memorial Foundation. Given to top junior officers of the four military branches annually at the Pentagon.
The Arnie Award. (Bronze | 14 in.) Conde Nast and Golf Digest award for philanthropy.
The Bob Jones Award. (Bronze | 18 in.) US Golf Association award given annually recognizing individuals who demonstrates the spirit, personal character and respect for the game exhibited by Jones, winner of nine USGA championships. It is the highest honor bestowed by the USGA.
Forward Award. (Bronze | 17 in.) Freedom From Religion Foundation. Given annually to those who work to protect separation of church and state.
Darrow Award. (Bronze | 17 in.) Freedom From Religion Foundation. Annual award in recognition of civil libertarians who promote science and evolution, and/or freethought, as Darrow advocated.