Unknown Political Prisoner

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

Date1951-1952

OriginUSA

MediumPlaster

Dimensions15 1/2 x 9 3/8 x 7 1/2 in. (39.4 x 23.8 x 19.1 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Helen J. Sebek. In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, Christian Petersen Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberUM2000.6

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: Christian Petersen submitted this plaster maquette as a model for an international art competition vetted through the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London themed the competition “The Unknown Political Prisoner.” Petersen’s proposed 11-foot marble memorial design follows a figurative tradition at a time when art was shifting towards abstraction. In contrast to many of the applicants who submitted Abstract Expressionist styles, Petersen’s traditional design appeared outmoded, especially considering the contest’s American representative was juried through the Museum of Modern Art. The scene in Petersen’s proposal follows in the theme of other Petersen war sculptures, often focusing on noncombatants and the human suffering caused by war. Rather than glorifying the cause of war, this plaster follows other contemporary works by Petersen such as Price of Victory, War (After the Blitz), and Old Woman in Prayer, which depict the sacrifices of both soldiers and those at home. In this sculpture Petersen portrays a scene of torture and perhaps of death. By turning the figure’s face away from the viewer and depicting him nude with minimal draping, the artist makes the figure both anonymous and universal, allowing the viewer to identify this sculpture with victims of any time and place. The design of the background as an abbreviated cross makes an association with the crucifixion of Christ which, for Petersen, might have connected his sculpture with the idea of unjust persecution and suffering. In 2026, this sculpture is being pointed up to 31 inches in reflection of Petersen’s desire for a memorial sculpture. The larger version is carved from Olympia White Vermont marble and will be placed temporarily in the Anderson Sculpture Garden for exhibition. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We do not know exactly when Petersen began working on his idea for Unknown Prisoner, but we do know that he entered his proposal in a 1952 international sculpture competition, sponsored by the Institute of Contemporary Art in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, on the theme of “The Unknown Political Prisoner.” The enduring effects of World War II, which morphed into the tensions of the Cold War and the atomic age, seem to have been much on the artist’s mind, as well as fears about their effects on the individuals who, inevitably, suffer from them. His war sculptures and proposals for memorials suggest that the translation of inhumane impulses into the torture of actual persons, as shown in Unknown Prisoner, is a subject properly explored in an educational setting. We also know that Petersen intended this sculpture, like Christ with Bound Hands, to be monumental, for he made numerous sketches that projected it as a massive and dominant feature in the landscape.

Published ReferencesPetersen’s name appears on the list of competitors. “Total List of 193 Contestants Submitting Maquettes in American Section of I C A – International Sculpture Competition,” Folder 36, 6. Petersen was not among the eleven American sculptors chosen by the jury (assembled by the Museum of Modern Art) who then competed in the international competition, which was won in 1953 by the British artist, Reg Butler. The competition required that artists submit, in addition to their maquette, a drawing or photograph showing “how the completed work is intended to look.” The highly finished drawing showing the monument in a landscape and suggesting the scale on which Petersen planned to construct his memorial (Fig. 3; UM92.359) was likely done specifically for this competition. “Memorandum: International Sculpture Competition: The Unknown Political Prisoner.” All citations regarding this competition: The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York; International Council and International Programs Records, I.B. 30-41; 36. For more on …, see All the Evils….

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