Man Controlling Trade

Constitution Avenue side
Pennsylvania Avenue side

Man Controlling Trade is the name given to two monumental equestrian statues created by Michael Lantz for the Apex Building in Washington D.C. under the WPA Federal Art Project. The works were dedicated in 1942. Each of the two limestone groups is approximately 12 feet tall and 16 feet long.[1]

In July 1937 the Section of Painting and Sculpture of the Transportation Department announced an open competition to design and execute two large sculptures for the Federal Trade Commission Building. The competition attracted over 500 models from 234 sculptors,[2]

The two statues, although similar, are not identical. In "the Pennsylvania Avenue version, the horse has a sinister look. It appears to be biting the man, and the man’s weak positioning suggests that he will fail to bridle the menace. In the other, on Constitution Avenue, the man appears sinister, and he has a more powerful hold upon a more elegant and sympathetic animal. Perhaps Lantz’s statuary captures our ambivalence about the regulation of trade."[3]

References

  1. ↑ Goode, James M. ‘’The Outdoor Sculpture of Washington, D.C.: A Comprehensive Historical Guide’’, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 1974 p. 145
  2. ↑ Ovason, David, ‘’The Secert Architecture of Our Nation’s Capital: The Masons and the Building of Washington D.C.’’, Perennial, 2002, first published in 1999 p. 287
  3. ↑ Hoofnagle, Chris (2014). "On Man Controlling Trade".