Logan Square in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Maja
1942
— Gerhard Marcks (1889-1981) —
In 1949 the Fairmount Park Art Association (now Association for Public Art) held its 3rd Sculpture International Exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and purchased this sculpture, Maja (pronounced \MAI-uh\), a popular favorite at the time. Maja stood on the museum's East Terrace until a 1992 renovation, when it was put into storage and later installed here in 2020.
German artist Gerhard Marcks was one of the first instructors at the Bauhaus in the 1920s. The Bauhaus was an important school and movement that influenced modernist art, design, and architecture.
In 1937 the Nazis declared Marcks' work "degenerate art"—barring him from exhibiting and destroying many of his sculptures. He continued to work despite such adversity, and in 1971 the Gerhard-Marcks-House museum was founded in Bremen, Germany.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Parks & Recreational Areas • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1949.
Location. 39° 57.675′ N, 75° 10.556′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Logan Square. Marker is on Benjamin Franklin Parkway just west of North 22nd Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Home for Art (within shouting distance of this marker); Jewish National Fund Council of Philadelphia (within shouting distance of this marker); Green Spaces, Fresh Air (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Rodin Museum (about 400 feet away); The Thinker (about 400 feet away); Architectural Fragment (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Rodin Museum (about 500 feet away); The Three Shades (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Philadelphia.
Also see . . . Gerhard Marcks and the Nazi Concept of “Degenerate Art”. March 1, 2021 article from the Association for Public Art, authored by Paul B. Jaskot (Submitted on April 6, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.)
Additional keywords. Nazi regime; pornography debate; censorship; decency; aesthetic theory
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 139 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
