Father, Mother and Child

Father, Mother and Child, 1969

Joseph J. O’Connell

War Memorial Court, American Dental Association

211 East Chicago Avenue

            Dedicated to the 160 American dentists who had died in wars during the 20^th century, this bronze group portrays a mother and father hovering over a child playing with a ball. 

          The figures are nearly twice life size and the sweeping lines of the clothing and curvilinear arms help to create environment that is protective yet filled with energy and negative space. An unusual example of figurative sculpture from the 1960s, it was created by Joseph J. O’Connell, a Chicago-born artist who taught at St. John’s University in Minnesota from 1962-1995.