Sponsored by: AIA-Nashville Society
Join the Parthenon and AIA-Nashville Society for a free in-person talk on Tuesday, June 24, at 6 PM at the Parthenon. Free registration required.
Alan LeQuire will discuss the new sculptures created for the exhibition Monumental Figures. These 24 sculptures—displayed throughout the Parthenon, inside and out—celebrate the inspirational people among us in everyday life. The figures include activists, musicians, athletes, doctors and friends—elevated to the status of heroes by the large scale of the works.
LeQuire completed the Athena Parthenos statue inside the Parthenon 35 years ago, in 1990, as a project in experimental archaeology. In the 1980s, at the start of his career, he undertook a process of research, modeling, planning and construction that lasted 8 years, with further gilding and painting in 2002. Since then, Alan has created many commemorative works and portraits. He has continued to develop his artistry, using traditional sculptural techniques of modeling, enlargement, and casting, viewing sculpting as a physical discipline. He has now mentored and trained many other younger artists.
Hear directly from Alan some reflections on his inspirations and process, and look with him across 35 years at his career as an artist.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Alan LeQuire is a Nashville sculptor best known for his monumental figures. LeQuire began sculpting at age 11 and studied with Nashville sculptor Puryear Mims, even before receiving his BFA from Vanderbilt University. He spent one year in Italy apprenticing with the American sculptor Milton Hebald, and completed an MFA at University of North Carolina, Greensboro, continuing to study figurative sculpture with Peter Agostini. LeQuire cites the self-taught Nashville sculptor William Edmondson as among his early inspirations.
Soon after completing his MFA in 1981, Alan won the commission to reconstruct the Athena Parthenos statue inside Nashville’s full-scale replica of the Parthenon. He was charged with re-creating a celebrated ancient sculpture known only from partial descriptions and later, small-scale versions. This project was completed in 1990, after 8 years of intensive research, consultation with leading archeologists, modeling, and casting–a lasting achievement in experimental archaeology. LeQuire has undertaken many additional commissions, including individual portraits and larger work in public spaces. Among many other works, he is known for the colossal Musica composition on Nashville’s music row, the bronze doors of Nashville’s Main Library downtown, and the monument to the suffragettes in Centennial Park.
WANT TO LEARN MORE? CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES:
Become a member of Centennial Park Conservancy to support Parthenon educational programming.
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SYMPOSIUM SPONSORS:
Archaeological Institute of America- Nashville Society
Centennial Park Conservancy
Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation
NEXT SYMPOSIUM:
Stay tuned for updates about Fall Symposia in 2025!
The AIA is North America's largest and oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to archaeology. The Institute advances awareness, education, fieldwork, preservation, publication, and research of archaeological sites and cultural heritage throughout the world. Your contribution makes a difference.
