Dimitri Mitropoulos

Artist / Maker Christian Petersen (Danish - American, 1885 - 1961)

Date1940

MediumBas relief

Dimensions10 3/4 x 12 3/4 in. (27.3 x 32.4 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Maridee Hegstrom. In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2010.258

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: Petersen occasionally sculpted visiting dignitaries during their time at Iowa State, with one of his most notable subjects being Greek-born conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896–1960). Mitropoulos performed in Ames at Iowa State College (now University) multiple seasons with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now the Minnesota Orchestra), leading the orchestra from 1937 to 1949 before becoming the Conductor of the New York Philharmonic (1949–1957). This bas-relief serves as a memorable tribute to Mitropoulos’s legacy and was likely commissioned by Tolbert MacRae (1882–1963), who led the Music Department at Iowa State from 1920 to 1948. While the conductor was in Ames for a Midwestern concert tour, Petersen spent an afternoon sketching him and later produced this bas relief portrait. The plaque depicts Mitropoulos with outstretched arms in mid-motion, directing his orchestra. Known for his animated conducting style, his hands seem to mold the music, much like a sculptor. The background includes a few measures from the First Movement of Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, an orchestral work by German composer Johannes Brahms (1833–1897). Known for its innovative and masterful control of rhythm and movement, this symphony was a piece frequently performed by Mitropoulos. Petersen included a Latin inscription, Tibi pro benedictus gratias agimus, meaning “We give thanks to you for the blessing,” that expresses gratitude for the conductor’s contributions to music. It is believed that this portrait plaque was also cast in bronze and presented to Mitropoulos, but the bronze’s location is currently unknown.

Locations