At A Glance
Authorized casts from a group of originals at Millesgården in Stockholm – the artist’s former home, art museum, and a sculpture garden – purchased in 1968 and installed in 1972 by the Association for Public Art
Milles originally created five of these angels for a private site in Philadelphia, but the plans fell through and the angels were parceled out
The artist’s characteristically slender figures often have a childlike innocence and vulnerability that make them immediately appealing to the public
Three slim angels concentrate raptly on their music as they hover above the grass along Kelly Drive. The work of Swedish-born artist Carl Milles, they are authorized casts of three originals at Millesgården in Stockholm, where they overlook that city’s harbor. Milles’ style combined conservative, pictorial elements with a poetic and popular spirit. His characteristically slender figures often have a childlike innocence and vulnerability that make them immediately appealing to the public.
Milles had originally created five Playing Angels, all intended for a private site in Philadelphia
Milles had originally created five Playing Angels, all intended for a private site in Philadelphia – a nursery or nursery school. When the plans dissolved, one angel went to Kansas City, a second went to Falls Church, Virginia, and the remaining three were incorporated into Millesgården, which authorized casts to be made for the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art) for purchase. The Association purchased the angels in 1968 and installed them at their present site in 1972. Their placement on tall pedestals, similar to those at the Millesgården, was planned by the architectural firm of Bower and Fradley – a design awarded a silver medal by the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).
Voices heard in the Museum Without Walls: AUDIO program: John A. Bower, Jr., FAIA is Emeritus Principal architect at BLT Architects. Maria Wiberg is the Educational Director at the Millesgården in Stockholm, Sweden. | Segment Producer: Kara Oehler
Museum Without Walls: AUDIO is the Association for Public Art’s award-winning audio program for Philadelphia’s outdoor sculpture. Available for free by phone, mobile app, or online, the program features more than 150 voices from all walks of life – artists, educators, civic leaders, historians, and those with personal connections to the artworks.
RESOURCES:
- Millesgården museum in Stockholm, Sweden
- How to Request Images
- The Association for Public Art’s Digital Archive
This artwork is part of the Along Kelly Drive tour
