The 18-foot bronze Prometheus statue

If you ever find yourself wandering through Rockefeller Center, you will see Prometheus taking center stage. Back in 1934, Paul Manship debuted this massive 18-foot bronze piece in the lower plaza. It shows the Greek titan tumbling through a heavenly ring while hauling fire down for the human race. The architects were so picky about his specific aesthetic that they basically told Manship he was the only sculptor capable of pulling off the vision.

Manship had a deep love for archaic Greek art, which is a much more abstract style than what most people imagine when they think of the classics. He was chasing those smooth and sublime curves seen in ancient works like the Artemision Bronze in Athens. To get the proportions perfect, he even had an Italian-American lifeguard named Leonardo Nole pose for a full-scale model during 1933.

When you see it today, the statue is basically the heart of the scene. It hangs out above the ice skating rink and the famous Christmas tree during the winter. When the weather warms up, it becomes the backdrop for the outdoor dining area. It just got a fresh gold finish in 2025, so it looks pretty crisp for all the tourists.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons