The Great Frieze at the World War I Museum and Memorial

Located on the North Wall of the World War I Museum and Memorial and opposite from the building's entrance, the Great Frieze was completed in 1935 by famed sculptor Edmond Amateis. The work depicts the progression from the death and destruction of wartime to an idealistic image of prosperity in a time of peace. In the center, Americans are depicted coming together to support their country and do their part in the war effort. The Great Frieze represents the duality between the remembrance of the Great War and the desire to work toward a better future, a duality that shaped the early public memory of World War I.

The Great Frieze is the work of sculptor and World War I veteran Edmond Amateis. Amateis, who was born in Rome and immigrated to Washington, D.C. as a child, studied at Beaux-Arts in New York City His studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. Amateis served in the United States Army, after which he completed his studies in New York and made a name for himself as a sculptor. In 1935, nine years after the Liberty Memorial was dedicated, Amateis completed the Great Frieze, which depicts from left to right the progression from wartime to peacetime.

The first vignette depicts soldiers alongside the four horsemen of the apocalypse, representing the death and destruction brought by war. The second shows people coming together to serve their country, just as many did during World War I. Lastly, the third vignette portrays the prosperity enjoyed after the War finally ended, alongside words calling for lasting peace between one another and all nations. Themes of hope, prosperity, and a duality between destruction and idealism are present across the entire frieze.

Bushnell, Michael. Liberty Memorial great frieze, Northeast NEws. November 9th, 2011. Accessed January 19th, 2023. https://northeastnews.net/pages/liberty-memorial-great-frieze/.

Schneider, Robert Blake. THE LIBERTY MEMORIAL: A MALLEABLE EXPRESSION OF HORROR IN IDYLLIC TERMS, UMKC. Accessed January 19th, 2023. https://info.umkc.edu/sosland_journal/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Schneider_Sosland2019.pdf.