Prometheus Strangling the Vulture

Prometheus and tikkun olam. A Greek myth tells us that Zeus, on seeing the imperfection of the first humans, decided to wipe them out and make another better race. He was opposed by his cousin Prometheus, who believed that humans could be improved. Prometheus stole fire from the Olympians and gave it to the people. Enraged, Zeus chained the titan to a cave, and a vulture came to eat his liver every day. Prometheus is considered to be the saviour of the human race. He gave humanity a spark of divine knowledge and performed tikkun olam (Hebrew for ‘repairing the world’). In Judaism, the concept of tikkun olam refers to various forms of action aimed at repairing and improving the world, and states that Jews are responsible not only for their own spiritual, moral and material well-being, but also for that of society as a whole.

Jacques Lipchitz, like Prometheus, was concerned about the fate of humanity. The artist created his first study of Prometheus in 1931, and developed the subject for over 20 years, especially in 1936 and 1937, and between 1943 and 1953. One of his most remarkable bronze sculptures, Prometheus Strangling the Vulture, was created in 1943, and another one, made in 1949, was placed in the courtyard of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Lipchitz did not attempt to be faithful to the story, and depicted Prometheus as strangling the vulture. According to the artist, this is how tikkun olam occurs: social justice is restored, and good triumphs over evil. ‘My Jewish skin has tingled for my scattered and persecuted blood-brothers. But the monster whom we are killing is not merely antisemitism, it is everything which hinders man from moving forward’ (J. Lipschitz, 1935, The American Magazine of Art, 28: 458).

Text author Vilma Gradinskaitė

According to Ancient Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus stole fire, a symbol of divine knowledge, from Olympus, the realm of the gods, and brought it to Earth, thereby teaching humanity to tame animals, cultivate crops, build houses, and learn arithmetic and writing. Prometheus was punished severely for this act of defiance: by order of Zeus, he was chained to a mountain where an eagle would arrive every day to devour his liver. Jacques Lipchitz (1891–1973) created several interpretations of the Prometheus myth. His first sketch in 1931 portrayed the Titan in agony. In later works, Prometheus evolved from martyr to hero, embodying the struggle against evil. When invited to create an outdoor sculpture for the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris, Lipchitz responded to the rise of fascism in Europe with a powerful allegory of resistance, a monumental sculpture of Prometheus locked in combat with the vulture. The plaster composition stood above one of the entrances to the Grand Palais, but was unfortunately destroyed after the exhibition. The bronze sculpture in the collection, which was cast after Lipchitz had emigrated to the United States, continues the interpretation of the theme developed during his French period. It depicts Prometheus unchained, engaged in a fierce existential struggle with his adversary. A notable detail is the Phrygian cap he is wearing, a symbol of liberty given to freed slaves in Antiquity, and later adopted during the French Revolution to signify the ideals of freedom, and democracy.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album STORIES OF LITVAK ART (2023). Compiler and author Vilma Gradinskaitė, THE ART OF MATERIALS (2024). Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Prometheus and tikkun olam. A Greek myth tells us that Zeus, on seeing the imperfection of the first humans, decided to wipe them out and make another better race. He was opposed by his cousin Prometheus, who believed that humans could be improved. Prometheus stole fire from the Olympians and gave it to the people. Enraged, Zeus chained the titan to a cave, and a vulture came to eat his liver every day. Prometheus is considered to be the saviour of the human race. He gave humanity a spark of divine knowledge and performed tikkun olam (Hebrew for ‘repairing the world’). In Judaism, the concept of tikkun olam refers to various forms of action aimed at repairing and improving the world, and states that Jews are responsible not only for their own spiritual, moral and material well-being, but also for that of society as a whole.

Jacques Lipchitz, like Prometheus, was concerned about the fate of humanity. The artist created his first study of Prometheus in 1931, and developed the subject for over 20 years, especially in 1936 and 1937, and between 1943 and 1953. One of his most remarkable bronze sculptures, Prometheus Strangling the Vulture, was created in 1943, and another one, made in 1949, was placed in the courtyard of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Lipchitz did not attempt to be faithful to the story, and depicted Prometheus as strangling the vulture. According to the artist, this is how tikkun olam occurs: social justice is restored, and good triumphs over evil. ‘My Jewish skin has tingled for my scattered and persecuted blood-brothers. But the monster whom we are killing is not merely antisemitism, it is everything which hinders man from moving forward’ (J. Lipschitz, 1935, The American Magazine of Art, 28: 458).

Text author Vilma Gradinskaitė

According to Ancient Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus stole fire, a symbol of divine knowledge, from Olympus, the realm of the gods, and brought it to Earth, thereby teaching humanity to tame animals, cultivate crops, build houses, and learn arithmetic and writing. Prometheus was punished severely for this act of defiance: by order of Zeus, he was chained to a mountain where an eagle would arrive every day to devour his liver. Jacques Lipchitz (1891–1973) created several interpretations of the Prometheus myth. His first sketch in 1931 portrayed the Titan in agony. In later works, Prometheus evolved from martyr to hero, embodying the struggle against evil. When invited to create an outdoor sculpture for the 1937 World Exhibition in Paris, Lipchitz responded to the rise of fascism in Europe with a powerful allegory of resistance, a monumental sculpture of Prometheus locked in combat with the vulture. The plaster composition stood above one of the entrances to the Grand Palais, but was unfortunately destroyed after the exhibition. The bronze sculpture in the collection, which was cast after Lipchitz had emigrated to the United States, continues the interpretation of the theme developed during his French period. It depicts Prometheus unchained, engaged in a fierce existential struggle with his adversary. A notable detail is the Phrygian cap he is wearing, a symbol of liberty given to freed slaves in Antiquity, and later adopted during the French Revolution to signify the ideals of freedom, and democracy.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album STORIES OF LITVAK ART (2023). Compiler and author Vilma Gradinskaitė, THE ART OF MATERIALS (2024). Compiler and text author Jurgita Ludavičienė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė