Robert Graham, the Los Angeles sculptor whose Great Bronze Doors and contemporary rendition of the Blessed Mother welcome those who enter the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, died Dec. 27 at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, after an illness. He was 70.

A prolific artist who created works that are on display throughout Los Angeles and the U.S., the native of Mexico City. Among his most famous works are the headless torsos that graced the entrance to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the 1984 Olympic Games.

He also created the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C., and memorials to Joe Louis in Detroit, Duke Ellington in New York, and Charlie "Bird" Parker in Kansas City, Mo.

But his most famous religious artwork was for his home city's cathedral, dedicated in September 2002. In a 2002 interview prior to the dedication, Graham discussed his vision for the 8-foot, 1,000-pound, cast bronze figure of the Cathedral's patroness --- a vision that generated both awe and controversy.

"Our Lady of the Angels is completely contemporary," Graham stated, noting the absence of the usual veil, the flowing robes and long-sleeved gowns. In addition, her face bears Asian, African and Caucasian features.

Yet Graham also asserted that Our Lady of the Angels is "very traditional." Even with her unique characteristics, Graham said this Mary "has a connection to all the other Virgins," and therefore, essentially the same Mary Catholics know and love. "That's part of the mystery," he adds. "All [her images] exist simultaneously."

Graham used several interpretations of Mary on the Great Bronze Doors. On one panel of the inner doors is a relief of Our Lady of Loretto. Another is Our Lady of Guadalupe. Still another shows her in the Pieta pose.

The many images and symbols he employed on the doors, the artist said, illustrate that Mary is "a powerful mother, the protector, the enthroned queen, the Lady of the Rosary, the Divine Shepherdess, the warrior - which is the Divine Apocalypse."

The Great Bronze Doors, forming the south entrance of the cathedral, is comprised of two larger sand-casted doors - each towering 20 feet high and 15 feet wide - and two inner doors - each 15 feet high and 5 feet wide. The inner doors, which bear the relief images in many panels, are made of cast bronze plates attached to stainless steel frames.

Above the doors is the 10-foot-high tympanum, covered entirely in 23K gold leaf, supporting Our Lady of the Angels. All together, the massive structure weighs 25 tons.

These sub-divisions and paneling result in actual and symbolic gateways to the cathedral. Since the doors are covered in a myriad of icons and symbols taken from various cultures, "people can actually find a way in by having something they could recognize," explained Graham.

However, because the entire design "is very specific to Los Angeles. It wouldn't work in New York; it wouldn't work in Europe," said Graham, adding that his selection of images is "just a sampling of what can really be a part of the door that has some meaning to the different cultures here in Los Angeles."

---Mike Nelson