About the atlanta falcon sculpture
Gábor Miklós Szőke’s most famous work is the Falcon sculpture he created for the Atlanta Falcons situated in front of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Underneath the wings of the Falcon, millions of people enter the two million-square-foot stadium set to be the home of Super Bowl 2019. The Falcon is the largest free-standing avian sculpture in the world and is the largest work by the artist. The bird has a wingspan of 20 meters and it is 13 meters tall.
The largest free-standing avian sculpture in the world
Gábor Miklós Szőke was commissioned by the Atlanta Falcons to make something one of a kind. In a stadium with numerous state-of-the-art features, this needed to make a statement. “I have always liked to spark a reaction.” Szőke says. “It is a special honor for me that I was asked to do this.” And spark he made, one he calls “the biggest” of his career. This dirty bird is made up of over 1000 pieces of stainless steel adorned with two polished eyes. It clutches a 13-foot football made of bronze. “Rise up!”, the team’s motto begins to take on a whole new meaning. Working in conjunction with the Savannah College of Art and Design, it took more than a year to construct, and it had to be built in parts. Szőke and his team of over 200 people built sections of four pieces in Budapest, and had the sections shipped for assembly to Atlanta. Falcons owner Arthur Blank met in Atlanta with Szőke to talk concepts in 2016, and after a few different iterations of design, the final one now stands at the entrance. It looks a little like a transformer ready and waiting to take flight.
I have always liked to spark a reaction, to think in monumental dimensions, to conquer new spaces with my animals and creatures, to bring them to life. My newest project is the biggest one in my career. One of the most important sports teams in the USA, the Atlanta Falcons commissioned me to make a 20 meter wide, 12.5 meter high falcon in front of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It is a special honor for me that I was asked to do this.
fly-through video of the sculpture and the stadium construction
making of pictures by timi szőke
International media highlights
Photo diary chapter I: Construction of the Atlanta Falcon at the Gábor Miklós Szőke Studio
Photo diary chapter II: Arrival and installation in se Atlanta
