The Astronomers Monument Los Angeles

Visitors to Griffith Observatory are likely to notice the massive monument located out front, and rightly so. This unique work of public art was commissioned during the 30s to commemorate six of the world’s greatest astronomers, including Hipparchus, Nicholas Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, and William Herschel. Immortalizing these key figures in bronze and steel by six different sculptors, the monument is widely regarded as not just a great historical testament, but also a great work of art. In an interesting bit of LA trivia, one of the artists, George Stanley, went on to design and create the famous “Oscar” statue.