Artwork Details
- Title
- Giuseppe Verdi
- Artist
- Ettore Ferrari (1845 – 1931)
- Year
- 1907
- Location
- Horticulture Center grounds (Belmont Avenue and North Horticultural Drive, West Fairmount Park)
- Medium
- Bronze, granite and limestone base
- Dimensions
- Height 3'8″ (base 8'6″)
Artwork Description
One of the most influential composers of all time, Giuseppe Verdi’s (1813-1901) music continues to be popular worldwide. Verdi’s works span several periods of 19th century Italian music. This limestone pedestal features three of the composer’s greatest operas, Rigoletto (1851), La Traviata (1853), and his masterpiece Aida (1871).
A gift of the Italian Colony of Philadelphia in 1907, this was the second monument given by Italian-Americans to the City. The first was the Columbus monument, which was originally erected by the Columbus Monument Association for the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 near the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center before it was moved to its current location at Marconi Plaza in South Philadelphia in 1976.
Artwork Credits
Gift of the Italian Colony of Philadelphia to the City of Philadelphia
Owned by the City of Philadelphia
Artwork Media
Museum Without Walls
Voices:
DAVID KIM is Concertmaster and solo violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a renowned teacher who presents master classes world-wide. Kim also works with youth to cultivate future audiences for classical music.
HARDY VON AUENMUELLER is Chairman of the Board of The German Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1764 to assist German immigrants. Today the organization furthers the understanding of German and German-American contributions to American history and culture.
RICHARD N. JULIANI (1938-2025) was a historian who studied immigration and ethnic life, with a focus on the Italian American experience. He is the author of The Social Organization of Immigration: The Italians in Philadelphia.
Producer: Jonathan Mitchell