Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Original 1976 installation at Davis High School, Yakima, WA. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Jim Ball (black and white photo, detail).

Artwork copyright Phillip Levine. Original 1977 installation. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Jim Ball (black and white photo).

Monoliths, 1977

Phillip Levine
American (born 1931, died 2021)

Location: Washington Youth Academy, Bremerton

About the Artwork

Monoliths is a bronze sculpture created by artist Phillip Levine. It is comprised of seven rectangular pillars that fan out from a central base. The pillars feature a human figure at different stages emerging from the rectangular forms. He notes, "In this sculpture, my intent was to create an image that could stimulate questions about human development and the progression of life. Various interpretations will give rise to a variety of questions.... There are no answers here."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Military Department.

About the Artist

Levine was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. He entered the University of Colorado as a pre-med student and graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1961. He was honored with a Washington State Governor's Arts and Heritage Award in 1997. He has more than 30 sculptures in public places in Western Washington, half a dozen more in Eastern Washington, with others across the U.S.