Prometheus

Always a traditionalist, De Lue filled his career with monumental sculptures representing heroic stories of the past and present, from Greek mythology to World War II. For this action-filled work, De Lue portrayed Prometheus falling from Mount Olympus, where he has just stolen fire from Zeus and is about to deliver it to Earth for humankind. To represent the myth, De Lue placed a golden sun at Prometheus’ thigh, a swirl of clouds and smoke at his hand that clutches the ball of fire and a small glimpse of a mountain top at the bottom. The muscular twisting body, gold patina, and seemingly impossible balancing act form a stunning feat of storytelling that characterized much of De Lue’s sixty-year career.