Free Nelson Mandela (sculpture)

Public artwork by David Hammons

This article is about the sculpture. For the song by The Specials, see Free Nelson Mandela.

Free Nelson Mandela

Free Nelson Mandela is a sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, created by David Hammons in 1987. Alternatively referred to as a monument, the piece was originally created as a statement demanding the liberation of the imprisoned South African activist, Nelson Mandela. The official title is Nelson Mandela Must Be Free to Lead His People and South Africa to Peace and Prosperity.[1] However, it is most frequently called just Free Nelson Mandela, because those words are carved in the face of the granite rock that is the bottom portion of the sculpture.

The top portion is a 12 feet high fence of iron bars radiating from the rock and topped with barbed wire. In the fence is a working gate, which was padlocked shut while Mandela was imprisoned. After Mandela's release in 1990, the padlock was unlocked with the key which had been left with Atlanta city officials by the artist. The gate has remained in an open position ever since, and the rock proclaims that there is now a "Free Nelson Mandela". There are also small segments of chain attached to the bottom corners of the rock, adjacent to the base. At some point after the gate was opened, three bars to the right of the gate were painted, respectively, green, black, and yellow, the colors of the South African flag. The entire sculpture weighs 7 tons.[2]

## Creation

[edit]

Hammons created the sculpture while an artist in residence for Atlanta's Arts Festival. Faculty and students at Georgia State University assisted in the construction at GSU's sculpture studio. Atlanta's Office of Cultural Affairs is responsible for the restoration and maintenance of the piece.[3] In addition to the intrinsic value of the sculpture and the historical statement, this piece is significant because it is one of the few, if only, public art works by Hammons.

## Location

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Inscription on the front of the sculpture

The original site was the north end of Atlanta's Woodruff Park, where it was installed in April, 1987[4] and presented by then Atlanta Mayor, Andrew Young, as part of a dedication ceremony on June 4, 1987.[1] It is currently located in Piedmont Park. Specifically, it is 50 yards inside the Charles Allen Dr. entrance, which is on the southern end of the park bounded by 10th Street, just inside the eastmost end of the Oak Hill walking trail.[5]

## Controversy

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The sculpture is difficult to find because it is overgrown by shrubs planted as part of a park renovation. The boldness and harshness of the statement is softened considerably by the vegetation, which was not part of the artist's fixture.

In addition, the description on the Smithsonian Institution's Art Inventories Catalog states that the gate is left of center.[6] It is implied that this information was gathered in the "Save Outdoor Sculpture, Georgia, Atlanta survey, 1994." If this is true, then the current setting has viewers looking at the back of the piece and the front is covered with shrubbery.

## Images

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Photos taken:

* before the Piedmont Park re-landscaping, on the website of the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs
* in 2005
* in 2007
* in 2012

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Arts Notes Mayor to present David Hammons sculpture dedicated to Mandela" Atlanta Journal and Constitution (Archives, 2 June 1987, C/2) (URL accessed 5 August 2012)
2. ^ Naipaul, V.S., (Dec 14, 2011) A Turn in the South, Random House Digital, Inc.,
3. ^ ""Free Nelson Mandela" Sculpture Restoration"[permanent dead link‍] City of Atlanta Press Release (no date stated) (URL checked 5 August 2012)
4. ^ "David Hammons' style rocking conventional notions about art " Atlanta Journal and Constitution (Archives, 29 April 1987, B/1) (URL accessed 5 August 2012)
5. ^ "Piedmont Park Map" Piedmont Park Conservancy (URL accessed 5 August 2012)
6. ^ "Free Nelson Mandela, (sculpture)." Smithsonian Institution's Art Inventories Catalog (URL accessed 5 August 2012)

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Free Nelson Mandela at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Nelson Mandela

* 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013
President of South Africa (1994–1999)
* President of the African National Congress (1991–1997)

Life|

* Early life
* Mandela and Tambo law firm
* UMkhonto we Sizwe
* 1955 Congress of the People
* Freedom Charter
* Treason Trial
* Rivonia Trial
* Robben Island
* Pollsmoor Prison
* Victor Verster Prison
* Negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa
* Liliesleaf Farm
* Mandela House and museum
* Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
* The Elders
* 70th Birthday Tribute
* 90th Birthday Tribute
* Awards and honours
* Death and state funeral
* state memorial service attendees
* funeral attendees

Presidency|

* 1994 election
* Presidency
* Government of National Unity
* Reconstruction and Development Programme
* Truth and Reconciliation Commission
* Constitution of South Africa
* 1995 Rugby World Cup
* Intervention in Lesotho
* Mahlamba Ndlopfu

Books and
speeches|

* "I Am Prepared to Die" (1964 speech)
* Long Walk to Freedom (1994)
* Mandela: The Authorised Biography (1999)
* Conversations With Myself (2010)
* Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017)

Legacy and
namesakes|

* Mandela Day
* Nelson Mandela Forum
* Nelson Mandela Institution
* 46664 concerts
* Mandela Rhodes Scholarship
* Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Mandela Rules)
* Nelson Mandela Challenge
* Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate
* Nelson Mandela Invitational
* Nelson Mandela International Airport
* Nelson Mandela Square
* Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
* Mandela National Stadium
* Nelson Mandela Bridge
* Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital
* Ponts Nelson-Mandela
* Nelson Mandela University

Film depictions|

* Mandela (1987)
* Death of Apartheid (1995)
* Mandela (1996)
* Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation (1996)
* Mandela and de Klerk (1997)
* Goodbye Bafana (2007)
* Endgame (2009)
* Invictus (2009)
* Winnie Mandela (2011)
* Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
* Mandela's Gun (2016)

Family|

* Ngubengcuka (great-grandfather)
* Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa (father)
* Nosekeni Fanny (mother)
* Evelyn Mase (wife)
* Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (wife)
* Graça Machel (wife)
* Makgatho Mandela (son)
* Makaziwe Mandela (daughter)
* Zenani Mandela-Dlamini (daughter)
* Zindzi Mandela (daughter)
* Ndileka Mandela (granddaughter)
* Mandla Mandela (grandson)
* Zoleka Mandela (granddaughter)
* Ndaba Mandela (grandson)

Related|

* African National Congress
* history
* International Tribute Concert
* Madiba shirt
* "Free Nelson Mandela" (song)
* "Mandela Day" (song)
* "Rise Up" (song)
* "Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela)" (song)
* Nelson Mandela (EP)
* Atlanta sculpture
* Cape Town City Hall statue
* Johannesburg statue
* London statue
* Pretoria statue
* Washington, D.C. statue
* Ismail Ayob

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Atlanta landmarks

Current

| Cemeteries|

* Decatur
* Greenwood
* Oakland
* South Bend
* Utoy
* Westview

|

Commercial|

* 200 Peachtree
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* AmericasMart
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* Clermont Lounge
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* Five Points Coca-Cola sign
* Forsyth-Walton Building
* Georgia World Congress Center
* Kodak Building
* Lenox Square
* M.C. Kiser Company Building
* Magic City
* Manuel's Tavern
* Mary Mac's Tea Room
* Murder Kroger
* Phipps Plaza
* Ponce City Market
* Switchyards Building
* Underground Atlanta
* The Battery Atlanta
* The Varsity

Educational|

* Brittain Dining Hall
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* Food Processing Technology Building
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* Marcus Nanotechnology Building
* Omega Chapter of the Chi Phi Fraternity
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* Tech Tower
* Technology Square

Governmental|

* Atlanta City Hall
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* Georgia Governor's Mansion
* Georgia Railroad Freight Depot
* Georgia State Capitol
* Miss Freedom

Monuments|

* Statue of Ellis Arnall
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* Autoeater
* Carnegie Education Pavilion
* Confederate Obelisk
* Continuing the Conversation
* Albert Einstein Memorial
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* Statue of Evander Holyfield
* Expelled Because of Color
* Five Points Monument
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* Gateway of Dreams
* Statue of Henry W. Grady
* Homage to King
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* Statue of Jimmy Carter
* Statue of John Brown Gordon
* Statue of John Stith Pemberton
* Kessler Campanile
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* Sidney Lanier Monument
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* Statue of Eugene Talmadge
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* Statue of Dominique Wilkins
* World Athletes Monument

Museums|

* APEX Museum
* Atlanta Contemporary Art Center
* Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum
* Atlanta History Center
* Callanwolde Fine Arts Center
* Children's Museum of Atlanta
* College Football Hall of Fame
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* Fire Station No. 6
* Hammonds House Museum
* High Museum of Art
* Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
* Joel Chandler Harris House (Wren's Nest)
* King Plow Arts Center
* Margaret Mitchell House and Museum
* Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
* Michael C. Carlos Museum
* Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia
* Museum of Design Atlanta
* National Center for Civil and Human Rights
* Rhodes Memorial Hall House Museum
* Robert C. Williams Paper Museum
* William Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust Museum
* World of Coca-Cola

Parks and
wildlife|

* Atlanta Botanical Garden
* BeltLine
* Burger Bowl
* Centennial Olympic Park
* Chastain Park
* Chattahoochee River
* Fernbank Forest
* Georgia Aquarium
* Grant Park
* Historic Fourth Ward Park
* Liberty Plaza
* Piedmont Park
* Playscapes
* Stone Mountain
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Performing
arts|

* Alliance Theatre
* Atlanta Symphony Hall
* Atlanta Civic Center
* Buckhead Theatre
* Center for Puppetry Arts
* Center Stage
* Coca-Cola Roxy
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* Ferst Center for the Arts
* Fox Theatre
* Goat Farm Arts Center
* King Plow Arts Center
* Madison Theatre
* Plaza Theatre
* Rialto Center for the Arts
* Shakespeare Tavern
* Strand Theatre
* The Masquerade
* The Tabernacle
* Tara Theatre
* Variety Playhouse
* Woodruff Arts Center

Religious|

* Al-Farooq Masjid
* All Saints' Episcopal
* Annunciation Greek Orthodox
* Antioch Baptist Church North
* Big Bethel AME
* Buckhead
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* Congregation Beth Jacob
* Druid Hills Presbyterian
* Ebenezer Baptist
* First Church of Christ, Scientist
* First Congregational
* First Presbyterian
* First United Methodist
* Grace United Methodist
* Immaculate Conception
* Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
* North Avenue Presbyterian
* Peachtree Presbyterian
* Rock Spring Presbyterian
* Sacred Heart of Jesus
* St. Bartholomew's Episcopal
* St. John's Lutheran
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* St. Philip's Cathedral
* The Temple
* Wheat Street Baptist

Residential
(former)|

* Asa G. Candler Jr. (Callanwolde)
* Water T. Candler (Lullwater)
* Joel Chandler Harris (Wren's Nest)
* Alonzo F. Herndon (Herndon Home)
* Edward H. Inman (Swan House)
* Martin Luther King Jr.
* Ferdinand McMillan (The Castle)
* Margaret Mitchell
* Edward C. Peters (Ivy Hall)
* Amos Giles Rhodes (Rhodes Hall)
* Rufus M. Rose
* Craigie House

Skyscrapers|

| Historic
(pre-WWII)|

* Bona Allen (1923)
* Candler (1906)
* Carnegie (1925)
* Connally (1916)
* Cox-Carlton (1925)
* Flatiron (1897)
* Georgian Terrace (1911)
* Glenn (1923)
* Healey (1914)
* Hurt (1926)
* J. Mack Robinson (Empire) (1901)
* The Metropolitan (1911)
* Ponce de Leon Apartments (1913)
* Rhodes-Haverty (1929)
* Southern Bell (1929)
* William-Oliver (1930)
* Winecoff Hotel (1913)
* W. D. Grant (1898)

|

Downtown|

* 25 Park Place (Trust Company of Georgia)
* 55 Marietta Street (Fulton National Bank)
* 101 Marietta Street
* 191 Peachtree Tower
* Coastal States Building
* Equitable
* Five Points Plaza
* Fourth National Bank building
* Georgia Power
* Georgia-Pacific Tower
* Hyatt Regency Atlanta
* Marriott Marquis
* One Park Tower
* Peachtree Center
* Peachtree Summit
* State of Georgia Building
* Truist Plaza
* TWELVE Centennial Park
* Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel

Midtown|

* 999 Peachtree
* 12th & Midtown
* 1010 Midtown
* 10 Sixty Five Midtown
* 1075 Peachtree
* 1100 Peachtree
* 1180 Peachtree
* 1280 West
* Tower Square
* Regions Plaza
* Atlantic Station
* 171 17th Street
* The Atlantic
* Bank of America Plaza
* Coca-Cola
* Colony Square
* CNN Center
* Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta/GLG Grand
* Mayfair Condominiums
* One Atlantic Center (IBM Tower)
* One Georgia Center
* Promenade II
* Spire
* Ten Peachtree Place
* ViewPoint
* Yoo on the Park

Buckhead|

* 2828 Peachtree
* 3344 Peachtree
* 3630 Peachtree
* Atlanta Financial Center
* Atlanta Plaza
* Buckhead Grand
* Mandarin Oriental
* Paramount at Buckhead
* Park Avenue Condominiums
* Park Place
* The Pinnacle
* Realm
* Resurgens Plaza
* Terminus
* Tower Place

Perimeter Center|

* Concourse Corporate Center V & VI (King & Queen towers)
* Park Towers I & II
* Three Ravinia Drive

Former

* 688 Club
* Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom
* Atlanta Cabana Motel
* Atlanta Hotel
* Atlanta (Confederate) Rolling Mill
* Atlantic Steel Mill
* Church of Our Father
* Coca-Cola Olympic City
* Confederate Soldiers' Home
* DeGive's Opera House
* Equitable Building (1892)
* First Universalist
* Fourth National Bank
* 3rd Georgia Governor's Mansion (John H. James mansion)
* Henry Grady Hotel
* Hotel Ansley
* Hotel Aragon
* Judge William Wilson House
* Junior's Grill
* Kimball House
* Leyden House
* Loew's Grand Theatre
* Majestic Hotel
* Masonic Temple
* National Museum of Patriotism
* Neely Nuclear Research Center
* Pappenheimer Mansion
* Paramount Theatre
* Peachtree Arcade
* Piedmont Hotel
* Ponce de Leon amusement park
* Ponce de Leon Springs
* Republic Block
* Rich's
* Riverbend Apartments
* Roxy Theatre
* SciTrek
* State Square
* Terminal Station
* Trout House
* Turner Broadcasting tower
* Union Stations:
* 1853
* 1871
* 1930
* Post Office and Customs House/City Hall (1911–1930)
* Walton Spring
* Washington Hall

Planned

* 1105 West Peachtree
* Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal
* Atlanta Symphony Center
* Midtown Union
* Opus Place
* The Stitch

See also: Atlanta sports venues

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