Serenity.

About Serenity

Serenity is a public artwork in Meridian Hill Park, an urban park in Washington, D.C. It was sculpted by Spanish-Catalan artist Josep Clarà, who created an identical version on display in Barcelona. The sculpture was commissioned by Charles Deering, an American businessman and art collector, who was friends with Clarà. The sculpture was completed in 1921 and Deering dedicated it to his lifelong friend, Lieutenant Commander William H. Schuetze, who died in 1902. Deering gifted it to the United States and it was installed in 1925. The Carrara marble sculpture rests on a granite base and depicts a woman sitting on a rocky ledge. Soon after it was installed, there were protests about its artistic value and it was vandalized. For almost a century, Serenity has been repeatedly damaged, with its nose, hand, and other pieces missing. It has been called the "most vandalized memorial" in Washington, D.C.