who created the statue of liberty

The Statue of Liberty was created by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The internal framework was designed by the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who is also famous for the Eiffel Tower. The statue was a gift from France to the United States, intended to commemorate the centennial of American independence and symbolize friendship between the two nations. Bartholdi began designing the statue in 1870, and it was completed and dedicated in 1886.