278. Old Woman in Prayer (The Refugee)

In the Christian Petersen Art Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Date	c. 1940
Material	Bedford Limestone
Dimensions	28 x 17 x 18 in. (71.1 x 43.2 x 45.7 cm)
Description	Aged female with her hands placed together in prayer and eyes looking upward.
Markings	n/a
Provenance / Location	Charlotte Petersen; Iowa Art in State Buildings Program Purchase by Iowa State University Library. CPAC/AOC. U86.521
Alternate Title(s)	The Refugee
Notes / Sources	The Iowa Homemaker: Vol. 40, Issue 2, May 1960.

Old Woman in Prayer/The Refugee, by Christian Petersen, was sculpted from Bedford limestone. This sculpture is the artist's memorial to civilian refugees and concentration camp victims during the global second World War, and in all wars in the history of man's inhumanity to man. According to interviews conducted by his first biographer Pat Bliss with Petersen’s wife, Charlotte, this sculpture expresses the terror of ordinary -- and defenseless -- people who find themselves in the midst of conflict. She recalled, “Christian was deeply moved by the barbarism of the bombings. We were stunned by the tragic suffering of innocent civilians during World War II -- he brooded about it.” The woman's hands are placed together is prayer while she looks toward the heavens for an answer.