Proudly she stands: 'Woman Free.' (statue by Edwina Sandys)

Dedicated to the advancement of women, a 15-foot tall marble statueWoman Free" stands high above a reflecting pool and a lovely rose garden at the UN Centre in Vienna. The work, created by British sculptor Edwina Sandys, started as a simple doodle on a paper napkin in the Russian Tea Room in New York City. "My inspiration usually comes from a deep well inside me", she says. The slim, attractive artist is the granddaughter of the late Prime Minister of Great Britain Winston Churchill. She is the eldest child of Diana Churchill and Lord Duncan Sandys, a former British cabinet minister. Among her internationally recognized works is one entitled "Child", created in commemoration of the International Year of the Child in 1979, and now on permanent display in front of the UN International School in Manhattan. Others include "Generations" and "Family", respectively ensconced at the UN Vienna Centre and at UN headquarters in Geneva. Ms. Sandys almost singlehandedly raised the money for the "Woman Free" statue by creating a gold pendant, an exact replica of the sculpture, and selling it to interested donors. The first 1,000 have their names inscribed at the base of the "Woman Free" sculpture, which was unveiled on the 1989 UN Day-24 October. Shortly before the completion of "Woman Free", Annabelle Wiener, Director of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), asked Ms. Sandys to contribute a past(-] drawing of the sculpture. It is the subject of a first day cover of the UN Postal Administration and also a limited edition art print issued on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the UN Vienna headquarters on 23 August 1989.

Married to an American architect, Ms. Sandys lives in the United States and says she feels as much at home there as in her native England.