Rockefeller Center
Paul Manship, 1934

In the Greek pantheon Prometheus was a Titan who lived on Mt. Olympus. Struck by pity for the savage humans of Earth, he brought them a spark of divine fire hidden in a hollow reed that warmed and brightened their lives. General Electric—which also built the GE Building on the east side of Rockefeller Center—considered themselves to be the Prometheus of the 20th century and commissioned the statue as a form of high–class advertising. The bronze statue is covered in gold leaf and is one of the most famous symbols of Midtown New York.