Ad Astra (sculpture) explained

See also: Ad astra (disambiguation).

Artist:	Richard Lippold
Type:	Gold-colored polished stainless steel
Height Imperial:	115
Imperial Unit:	ft
Metric Unit:	m
City:	Washington, D.C.
Museum:	National Air and Space Museum
Coordinates:	38.8886°N -77.0198°W
Owner:	Smithsonian Institution

is a public artwork by American artist Richard Lippold. The abstract sculpture is located outside on the Jefferson Drive entrance of and in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.^{[1] [2] [3]} The sculpture's title is Latin, meaning "To the Stars".^[2]

Description

This abstract statue is made of gold-colored polished stainless steel. Standing at 100 feet tall, the piece consists of a "...three-planed narrow shaft ending in a pointed tip, penetrates a triple star-like cluster near its apex".^{[4] [5]}

Information

Lippold believed that "the characteristic art of our time deals with the conquest of space", with symbolizing just that.^{[6] [7]} In 2009 the sculpture made an appearance in the film .^[8]

See also

• Continuum sculpture
• Delta Solar
• List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2

Further reading

• "Fabricating a soaring symbol of the space age ." AIA Journal 65, (October 1976): Art Index Retrospective: 1929–1984 (H. W. Wilson Company)

External links

• Ad Astra, an Abstract Sculpture by Richard Lippold from What is Abstract Sculpture?
• on dcMemorials .
• Modern-day Medici wanted: Vatican looks for Donor for Richard Lippold Sculpture from Collectos.com
• Richard Lippold, Sculptor of Metal Abstractions, Dies at 87 from The New York Times, a brief mention of the sculpture as a notable work

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ad Astra sculpture . Dcmemorials.com . 2009-04-19 . 2010-07-29 . 2010-09-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100924130549/http://dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0000452.htm . dead .
2. Web site: "Ad Astra" by Richard Lippold . Waymarking.com . 2010-07-29.
3. Web site: Outdoor Sculptures: Air and Space Museum . . 6 April 2011 . 6 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20110429204301/http://www.si.edu/Exhibitions/Details/Outdoor-Sculptures-Air-and-Space-Museum-173. 29 April 2011 . dead.
4. Web site: National Air & Space Museum . 1976 . Ad Astra (sculpture) . Inventory of American Painting and Sculpture . Smithsonian . 25 July 2010.
5. https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00morg/page/285 "Lippard, Richard"
6. Book: Neufeld, Michael . Alex Spencer. John Dailey. John Glenn. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: An Autobiography . National Geographic. October 2010. 1-4262-0653-4.
7. News: Ad Astra . 6 January 2020 . Newspapers.com . Star-Gazette . 20 June 1976.
8. Web site: Richard Lippold . . 22 April 2011.