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Gábor Miklós Szöke

The Falcon

2017 | Stainless steel and bronze

“The falcon is proud and dignified, with great courage and fight. It never drops its prey. It is deadly and has a great sporting tradition.”

— Julia Elliott, Georgia teacher and winner of the 1965 contest to name Atlanta’s NFL team

This unassailable, stainless-steel monument embodies the legacy and tenacity of the pointed-wing predator and its namesake football franchise. Designed and handcrafted by Hungarian artist Gábor Miklós Szőke and his 150-member team in Budapest and Atlanta, The Falcon is an unforgettable focal point for all who visit Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as envisioned by Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur M. Blank.

Process

Gábor Miklós Szöke

Gábor Miklós Szöke

Budapest, Hungary

Gábor Miklós Szőke is an internationally lauded sculptor and contemporary artist best known for his monumental, industrially wrought animal sculptures. Szőke’s aesthetic, expressed through the use of stainless steel and hardwood, enlivens his unique public art and informs architectural environments around the globe. Inspired by the power and dynamism of wildlife, monsters and demons — such as those imagined by masters Francisco Goya and Hieronymus Bosch — Szőke’s sculptures are representative of society. Due to the magnitude of his installations, Szőke holds the record for the biggest equine statue in Europe and the largest avian sculpture in the world. His most momentous present-day work, Atlanta Falcon, designed for the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, surpasses this record with a wingspan of 70 feet. Based in Budapest, Hungary, Szőke first garnered global reverence after completing a scholarship program at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, Italy, and graduating from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in 2010. He has been named on Forbes’ list of “30 successful Hungarians under 30” and created more than 100 sculptures situated throughout squares, museums and pubs in Croatia, Germany, Italy, Russia, Switzerland and the U.S., among other countries. In addition to sculpting, Szőke also paints and designs award-winning furniture that is defined by his imaginary milieu, the Dante Empire, named after his Doberman pinscher. These works have been shown in individual and group exhibitions and are displayed in private collections and contemporary galleries worldwide.

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