Dome

Detail, life-size figure of listening man; Milles was a Swedish sculptor and professor, especially known for his fountains. In 1931 he moved to the United States and taught at the Cranbrook Academy of Art from 1931 to 1945. This fountain is a variant of one he had created in Stockholm; he removed the actual figure of Orpheus (Greek god of music); the eight life-size figures who remain are simply listening and reacting to music. This change was instigated by George Booth, founder of the campus, who wanted the sculpture to be more "democratic, equal, and American." Milles gave one of the figures the face of Beethoven. Cranbrook is known as the cradle of American Modernism; in 1989, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. Source: Cranbrook Campus Map [website]; http://cbcampusmap.weebly.com/ (accessed 7/10/2014)