Astronomers Monument

The Astronomers Monument in front of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California is a New Deal artwork created under the auspices of the Public Works of Art Project.

The large outdoor concrete sculpture honors the work of six great astronomers and is a Griffith Park landmark in its own right.

Using a design by local artist Archibald Garner and materials donated by the Women's Auxiliary of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, six artists—Garner, Roger Noble Burnham (creator of USC's Tommy Trojan), Djey El Djey (1905-1980, real name Djey Owens), Gordon Newell (1905–1998),[1] George Stanley (creator of the famous Oscar statuette presented at the Academy Awards), and Arnold Foerster (1878–1943)—sculpted and cast the concrete monument and figures.

According to the Los Angeles Times art critic Arthur Millier in 1934, the "original idea" was Foerster's, and he was "responsible for the delicate engineering entailed in pouring a forty-foot concrete shaft.

[4] On November 25, 1934, almost six months prior to the opening of the Observatory on May 14, 1935, a celebration took place to mark completion of the Astronomers Monument.