The Georgia Institute of Technology will dedicate the Albert Einstein Monument on the northwest corner of Tech Green on Friday, October 23.  The official dedication ceremony will take place 3:30 p.m. amid Homecoming & Reunion Weekend festivities.

“Through the generous contributions of many alumni and friends, Georgia Tech will celebrate the arrival of an important and iconic work of art by one of our nation’s most revered sculptors,” said Georgia Institute of Technology President George P. “Bud” Peterson.

The 12-foot Einstein likeness was created by American sculptor Robert Berks (1922-2011), who captured the inspiring legacy of the extraordinary scientist and human rights advocate in sculptures created during the 1970s.

The 3,500 pound statue to be installed at Georgia Tech is the third of its kind. The first, measuring 22-feet, was dedicated on April 22, 1979, at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., steps away from the National Mall and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The second iconic Berks statue of Einstein measures 12-feet in height and resides at the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem.

The Georgia Tech monument features a circular dais 19 feet, 7 inches in diameter. The larger than life Einstein is seated upon a rounded, stair-stepped bench, and appears to be gazing upon a familiar constellation of stars while holding in his left hand an assortment of papers featuring three written equations he introduced: The general theory of relativity, the photoelectric effect and the equivalence of energy and matter (E = mc2). The constellation illustrates the night sky over Atlanta on December 10, 1948, the date of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Visitors who experience the sculpture may feel as though Einstein is making direct eye contact, and the site is expected to become a favorite spot on campus for gathering and photos. The Washington version of the sculpture is the most photographed destination at the National Academy of Sciences with thousands of visitors posing seated on Einstein’s lap.

Matching the Washington and Jerusalem versions, Georgia Tech’s sculpture and dais will feature two engraved quotations:

• A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space.” – Albert Einstein
• All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” – Article 1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, December 10, 1948

The dedication on October 23 will be followed by a 4:30 p.m. discussion titled “Albert Einstein and the Creation of the Modern World: A Gentle Introduction.” Panelists from Georgia Tech include Paul Goldbart, Dean, College of Sciences, Pablo Laguna, Chair, School of Physics, and Deirdre Shoemaker, Professor of Physics and Director, Center for Relativistic Astrophysics. The discussion will be held in the AT&T Auditorium in the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons and is open to the public.

Private gifts to Georgia Tech enabled the acquisition of the Einstein Monument. When representatives of Georgia Tech learned the sculpture was in need of a permanent, public home, Georgia Tech launched a $1.5 million campaign to raise private donations to bring Einstein to Atlanta. Donors will be recognized at the dedication ceremony on October 23.

“Georgia Tech and Atlanta embody science and civil and human rights like no other institution and city in the world.  It is fitting that we will be the home of this unique piece of public art.” said Georgia Institute of Technology Provost Rafael P. Bras.

“The monument will cultivate and inspire the creative and analytical talents of our students, and nurture a campus-wide culture and appreciation for the arts,” said Georgia Tech Office of the Arts Director Madison Cario.              

Sculptor Roberts Berks was born and raised in Boston and as a sculptor he created hundreds of works during his lifetime. In addition to the memorial for Einstein, Berks created the famous 3,000 pound bronze bust of President John F. Kennedy on view in the lobby of The Kennedy Center in Washington, a bust of President Abraham Lincoln that was in the Oval Office during Bill Clinton’s presidency, and designed the Fred Rogers Memorial Pittsburgh (celebrating the creator of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”). His wife, Tod Berks, has worked closely with Georgia Tech on the site selection for the memorial and will be a special guest at the dedication ceremony.  The Einstein sculpture design is based on a bust Berks sculpted from life in 1953, prior to Einstein’s death in 1955. Robert Berks died in New York in May 2011.

For more information on the Albert Einstein Monument at the Georgia Institute of Technology please visit www.Arts.GaTech.edu.