Felix de Weldon's "Marine Corps War Memorial"

On this Day in Art History: Felix de Weldon born (1907),

Nationality: American
Born/Died: 1907-2003

Creation Date: Finished 1954
Size: 32 ft. figures, 60 ft. flagpole (9.75 m, 18.28 m)
Media: Bronze
Location: Arlington, Virginia, USA

Today's post is in honor of the birthday of Felix de Weldon whose work is, unfortunately, practically unknown in the arts community today.

Although large, bronze sculptures of this kind are extremely expensive to create, it is interesting (and inspiring) to know that no public funds were used to create this work and instead it was created by voluntary donations. This should be remembered the next time someone claims that public funding for the arts is necessary for the creation of large and expensive works.