Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Millesgården

Saturday, September 7th - After seeing the "God our Father on the Rainbow" fountain on a boat trip we wanted to check out the sculptor's former private residence/museum in Lidingo just north of Stockholm. 

Millesgarden is a museum located at the former home of Carl (and Olga) Milles, a Swedish sculptor in the early 1900's.  He donated his home to the Swedish people in 1936 when he moved to the United States to be a sculptor in residence at the Cranbook Academy of Art in Michigan.  He spent 20 years in the states, leaving many sculptures across the country.  "The Hand of God" is outside Detroit's Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.  Another of his pieces "On a Sunday Morning" is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Some Americans found his naked statues offensive (including one Gabby Castle) so apparently he had a 'fig leaf' maker on retainer.  

One of the reasons for Millesgarden's location was the proximity to the sky and the sea.  A life-long student of astronomy, in his later years Carl Milles often placed his sculptures on high columns so that they were silhouetted against the sky.  We were lucky enough to visit on a beautiful late summer day with brilliant blue skies. 


Man and Pegasus - 1949

Hand of God - 1954


Marshall adding perspective to the landscape!





Angel Musicians - 1949-50


4 comments:

Nick Romano said...

You had to go all the way to Sweden to educate us on a sculpture we see (and take for granted) in our home town. I had to google it, had no idea it was the fountain between the League and Hill Auditorium.

Love and Miss you guys, Susie

Nancy Castle said...

Hmmm,now I'll have to Google it because I don't remember it!! I did put that in there for your benefit. Happy to educate you from afar!

Love you! Nancy

Lynda said...

I love the ones that, seemingly, defy gravity. So cool...Can't wait to hear Gabby's reaction to the lack of fig leaves on her first visit to Florence :)

Nancy Castle said...

Gabby was very unhappy on this trip... she doesn't like museums and it was full of naked statues! TORTURE!