Happy Children

Chaim Gross, Happy Children, 1973, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Gross in honor of Dr. Joshua C. Taylor, 1982.105
Copied Chaim Gross, Happy Children, 1973, bronze, 66 x 49 1⁄4 x 40 in. (167.5 x 125.1 x 101.6 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Gross in honor of Dr. Joshua C. Taylor, 1982.105

Artwork Details

Title
Happy Children
Artist
Founder
Bedi-Makky Art Foundry Corp.
Date
1973
Location
Dimensions
66 x 49 1⁄4 x 40 in. (167.5 x 125.1 x 101.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Chaim Gross in honor of Dr. Joshua C. Taylor
Mediums
Mediums Description
bronze
Classifications
Subjects
  • Children
  • Recreation — dancing
Object Number
1982.105
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1982.105

Artwork Description

Chaim Gross grew up in a large and loving Jewish family with ten brothers and sisters. When he was very young, Gross saw his parents nearly beaten to death for their religious beliefs by Cossack soldiers. As an adult, he compensated for this trauma by sculpting large families, as in Happy Children, which shows two small children emulating the adults who dance with them. The larger figures and the ring of bronze symbolically protect the children, as Gross's parents had been unable to do.