World Unity or Oblivion

Berthold Nebel, World Unity or Oblivion, 1945, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle, 1972.167.33
Copied Berthold Nebel, World Unity or Oblivion, 1945, bronze, 2 78 in. (7.3 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle, 1972.167.33

Artwork Details

Title
World Unity or Oblivion
Commissioner
Society of Medallic Arts
Founder
Medallic Art Company
Date
1945
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 78 in. (7.3 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Gift of the heirs of Albert Laessle: Mrs. Albertine de Bempt Laessle, Mr. Albert M. Laessle and Mr. Paul Laessle
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Keywords
  • Figure group — male
  • Occupation — military — soldier
  • State of being — death
  • State of being — illness — wound
  • Disaster — accident — explosion
Object Number
1972.167.33

Artwork Description

Research has not revealed the purpose of Berthold Nebel’s medal design, but the sculptor was one of many in Europe and the United States who created artworks memorializing the tragedy of the Second World War. On the obverse, an American soldier offers water to a wounded comrade. On the reverse, a mushroom cloud explodes over the abstracted bodies of thousands of war dead, signaling a new and terrifying threat that accompanied the end of the global conflict.