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Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
BreakFree Sculpture
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

BreakFree Sculpture

Artifact IDMO 1994.3
Object Type Sculpture
Artist (British-American, born 1938)
Dateca. 1993
Mediumconcrete, paint, metal (steel, bronze)
Dimensionsoverall H 148 in x W 151 1/2 in x D 103 in (375.9 cm x 384.8 cm x 261.6 cm )
 part a (male figure) H 128 in x W 47 in x D 8 3/4 in (325.1 cm x 119.4 cm x 22.2 cm )
 part b (female figure) H 129 in x W 41 in x D 8 3/4 in (327.7 cm x 104.1 cm x 22.2 cm )
 base H 19 in x W 120 3/4 in x D 96 1/2 in (48.3 cm x 306.7 cm x 245.1 cm )
Physical DescriptionA concrete sculpture comprised of the standing silhouette figures of a man and a woman cut from a section of the Berlin Wall. The figures are standing in a tangle of red painted barbed wire made from 3/4" diameter steel rod. Graffiti covers one side of the figures, while the other side is unmarked, reflective of the conditions in the countries the wall divided. The sculpture is mounted on a concrete base with one of FDR's Four Freedoms mounted on each of the four sides in 3" bronze letters. On the front: FREEDOM FROM FEAR; on the right: FREEDOM OF SPEECH; on the left: FREEDOM FROM WANT; and on the back: FREEDOM OF WORSHIP.
Historical NoteThis sculpture was created from sections of the Berlin Wall by artist Edwina Sandys, granddaughter of Winston Churchill. Human figures are shown breaking free of symbolic barbed wire—expressing freedom’s triumph over totalitarianism. BreakFree embodies the noble principles championed by Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. The sculpture was installed on the grounds of the Roosevelt Library in October 1993. It is on display outside the west side of the Library building in Freedom Court.

The figures in the sculpture were cut from a companion piece, a 11' x 32' section of the Berlin Wall titled, "Breakthrough," which was also done by Edwina Sandys and is located on the grounds of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.
Additional Details
Credit LineGift of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGift Items and Commemorative Artifacts (National Archives Identifier 782690)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyCopyright© Edwina Sandys / 1993. Copyright and other proprietary rights are held by individuals or entities other than the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum. Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of these materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions.
In Collection(s)
On view
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