Chopin Monument in Chicago

The Chopin Monument was designed by Wacław Szymanowski, a prolific artist known for his emotionally charged art. Like most of his work, it is composed in the Art Nouveau style.

The design is symbolic with the prominent stylized weeping willow over Chopin’s seated figure meant to echo the pianist’s hand and fingers.

This would not be the first replica of Warsaw’s famed monument – a 1:1-scale replica of Szymanowski’s statue stands in Hamamatsu, Japan. Szymanowski’s statue was also the world’s tallest Chopin monument until the unveiling of a slightly taller, modernistic bronze in Shanghai, China on March 3, 2007.

Chopin is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers and virtuoso pianists who was at the head of the Romantic movement that revolutionized music in the nineteenth century.

Chopin, according to Arthur Hedley “had the rare gift of a very personal melody, expressive of heart-felt emotion, and his music is penetrated by a poetic feeling that has an almost universal appeal…. Present-day evaluation places him among the immortals of music by reason of his insight into the secret places of the heart and because of his awareness of the magical new sonorities to be drawn from the piano”

His admirers read like a list of the most notable minds and souls of our times, including composers and pianists such as Liszt, Brahms, Paderewski, Schumann and Rubinstein as well as the philosopher Nietzsche.

Chicago is truly a global city of Arts and Culture, and is rightfully assuming its position as a global city on the world’s stage. Frank Lloyd Wright famously said, “Eventually, I think Chicago will be the most beautiful great city left in the world” It would be a shame that one of Poland’s proudest sons does not have a monument dedicated to him in the city that prides itself as having the largest population of Poles outside of Poland.

The year 2010 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederic Chopin, one of the greatest pianists and composers who have ever lived. In 2010 all over the world people were celebrating Chopin’s birthday, a mile stone in our trip to civilization. In honor of Chopin’s contribution to music” We ThePeople of Chicago” want to bring Chopin to Our City and to erect a copy of the famous Art Nouveau Chopin Monument in Warsaw’s Royal Baths Park here downtown in Chicago.

It will be a fitting tribute to commemorate the 200th anniversary of one of the most influential composers ever.

The intent to locate Chopin’s monument in one of Chicago’s tourist hotspots – Chicago Grant Park, section  between  11 St. & South Michigan Ave. and Museum Campus- Metra Station , will expose it to the greatest number of people of Chicago and tourists alike. Temporary name  for the project “Chopin Garden”.

It will be another architectural jewel in the crown of Chicago architectural marvels