“God the Father of Heaven Arc“, Nacka Strand, Stockholm, Sweden.

I first saw this sculpture when my husband and I were visiting a few of the islands just outside of Stockholm’s inner harbour. It depicts a naked God placing new stars in heaven from the end of a 23-meter high arch of steel. Although it’s hard to see in this photo, there is an angel standing at the base of the arc holding more stars to hand to God. The sculpture is actually a fountain that sprays water in a beautifully arced bow into Salt Lake and ultimately, the Baltic Sea.

By Holger.Ellgaard (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

By Evunji (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Marshall Fredericks [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

The sculpture was originally devised by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles in 1946. Intended as a peace monument and to recognize the formation of the United Nations in New York City, it was planned to be erected outside of the UN building in NYC. That project never came to fruition but years later, following Milles’ death, Marshall Fredericks – an American sculptor who had been Milles’ assistant – was commissioned to create the fountain based on Mille’s original sketch. The sculpture was erected on the pier at ​​Nacka Strand in 1995.

It’s a beautiful sculpture creating a striking silhouette in the sky, especially at sunset.