Axalta Coating Systems Paints World Famous ‘Embracing Peace’ Sculptures

Axalta Coating Systems was selected to coat multiple “Embracing Peace” sculptures from primer to finished product. The sculptures were created by American artist Seward Johnson and are now owned by The Seward Johnson Atelier, Inc., a New Jersey-based nonprofit foundation which promotes the appreciation of, and education about, sculpture and public art through the creation, maintenance, sale and public placement of Seward Johnson’s sculptures.

Axalta products were chosen exclusively to coat the renowned “Embracing Peace” sculptures that feature the iconic kiss between a U.S. sailor and nurse in Times Square. The structures are painted with Axalta’s Corlar 824S, a two-component epoxy primer that delivers excellent durability and good corrosion protection, and Cromax® Pro, a low VOC waterborne basecoat. For the topcoat, Axalta’s high-performance Imron® Industrial MS600 high solid, low gloss clearcoat was selected for its high durability and long-term protection capability.

“Seward Johnson sculptures are beautifully made and truly works of art; it is an honor to have three Axalta products chosen and trusted to protect these masterpieces,” said Michael Cash, President, Industrial Coatings. “To me, this speaks volumes of the confidence our customers have in our technology and determination to provide them with the most durable and aesthetically beautiful solutions.”

“Embracing Peace” celebrates the famous sailor and nurse photograph taken in 1945, the moment the end of World War II was announced. At 25-feet-tall, one of the bronze sculptures stood for approximately a year at the Memorial de Caen Museum and War Memorial in Caen, France, then was de-installed and moved to the Bastogne War Museum in Belgium. There are identical castings on permanent view for the public in the United States in San Diego, California and in Sarasota, Florida, and a third is on temporary exhibit at the World War II memorial project site in Royal Oak, Michigan.