The head and back of 'Alertness' are in the foreground. At the end of the pool drains are hidden by a turtle on a rock and an octopus. All the sculpture is by Rene Paul Chambellan. Prometheus, sculpted by Paul Manship, is ahead.

When Manship returned to New York, he set up a studio and developed a simplified style of sculpture. His fountain sculpture 'Prometheus' (gilt bronze, 18 feet high, 1933-8), served as the focal point for Rockefeller Center's plaza. Just below it is the famous ice-skating rink.

Manship's work is linked with the Art Deco style. He produced over 700 works in his career. Many of his large bronzes were cast in smaller sizes and are still avidly collected. The American Battle Monuments Commission chose him to create monuments after WWI and WWII. They are located, respectively, in the American Cemetery at Thiaucourt, France (1926) and in the military cemetery at Anzio, Italy. He has works in Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina including: 'Actaeon,' 'Cycle of Life,' 'Diana,' 'The Flight of Europa' and 'Evening.'

Rene was a member of the Beaux-Arts Society of New York and was awarded the Beaux-Arts Medal First Class. He lectured at Yale University and was head of the Sculpture Department at New York University for four years. He specialized in architectural sculpture. He designed medals including the Caldecott, a Detroit city Commemorative medal; a NY, DOT commemorative decoration and the American Library Association's Newbery Medal.

In New York, he worked on the Daily News Building, Queens County Hospital, Kings County Hospital; State buildings in Albany and the Buffalo City Hall. He worked on the design of the Century Apartment House at 25 Central Park West; Beekman Tower at 3 Mitchell Place, the American Radiator Building, The Chanin Building and New York Life, and many others. He did other work on The Chicago Tribune Building, Lafayette College in Easton, PA; the Deering Library at Northwestern University; the Law School and Sterling Library at Yale University. He made the triton fountain sculptures for Rockefeller Center and collaborated in his large midtown studio with Lee Lawrie on the Atlas sculpture. On occasion, before a presentation to clients in his studio he was known to provide lunches with wines and spirits. Once clients were 'relaxed,' he would make the presentation.

He was one of the foremost practitioners of what was called the French Modern Style. He frequently worked for the architect Raymond Hood. When it became obvious that steel and glass structures were replacing the grand designs of the Gothic and Art Deco era, Chambellan left his studio, smashing all his molds (he did not want any 'opportunists' to take any of his works — most were too large to transport or store) and began his retirement. His premature death came from what were believed to be the effects of the gas attack he had endured in WWI. He is buried at the Fairview Cemetery in Fairview, NJ.