Ellington Statue Graces Campus

Since 1999, students and visitors coming and going from Schoenberg Hall can stop and say hello to Duke Ellington. His cast iron statue, standing beside a piano that’s held aloft by female figures who represent the muses, is a one-third scale maquette of the original Duke Ellington Memorial in New York City’s Central Park.

The artist is Robert Graham, who immersed himself in Ellington’s music and history during the 12 years he worked on the statue. He even had a suit made to the Duke’s measurements so that the statue would be an accurate representation.

At the unveiling in April 1999, on the 100th anniversary of Ellington’s birth, UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale noted that Ellington’s work described emotions and moods, and “the works of Robert Graham also reflect this wide range of moods and emotions.”