Chicago Picasso
Chicago Picasso | |
---|---|
Artist | Pablo Picasso |
Year | 1967 |
Medium | Sculpture, COR-TEN steel Fabricator: American Bridge Company |
Dimensions | 15 m (50 ft) |
Location | Daley Plaza, Chicago |
41°53′01″N 87°37′48″W / 41.88361°N 87.62997°W |
The Chicago Picasso (often just The Picasso) is an untitled
The COR-TEN steel structure, dedicated on August 15, 1967, in the civic plaza in the Chicago Loop, is 50 feet (15.2 m) tall and weighs 162 short tons (147 t).[2] The Cubist sculpture by Picasso, who later said that it represented the head of his Afghan Hound, was the first monumental abstract public artwork in Downtown Chicago, and has become a well-known landmark. Publicly accessible, it is known for its inviting jungle gym-like characteristics.[3] Visitors to Daley Plaza can often be seen climbing on and sliding down the base of the sculpture.
The sculpture was commissioned in 1963 by the architects of the Chicago Civic Center (now known as the
History
An architect who worked on the Daley Center project, Richard Bennett, wrote Picasso a poem asking him to make the sculpture.[7] Picasso accepted saying "You know I never accept commissions to do any sort of work, but in this case I am involved in projects for the two great gangster cities" (the other being Marseille, France).
The sculpture was fabricated by the
The efforts of the City of Chicago to publicize the sculpture — staging a number of press events before the sculpture was completed, and displaying the maquette without a copyright notice — were cited as evidence in a 1970 U.S. District Court case where the judge ruled that the city's actions had resulted in the sculpture being dedicated to the public domain.[6]
Controversy
The sculpture was initially met with controversy.
Newspaper columnist Mike Royko, covering the unveiling of the sculpture, wrote: "Interesting design, I'm sure. But the fact is, it has a long stupid face and looks like some giant insect that is about to eat a smaller, weaker insect." Royko did credit Picasso with understanding the soul of Chicago. "Its eyes are like the eyes of every slum owner who made a buck off the small and weak. And of every building inspector who took a wad from a slum owner to make it all possible. ... You'd think he'd been riding the L all his life."[15]
Inspiration
At a reception for the unveiling of a large piece of public sculpture commissioned by a New York University, Picasso told Stanley Coren that the head of the sculpture is an abstract representation of his Afghan Hound named Kabul.[16]
Right now I have an Afghan Hound named Kabul. He is elegant, with graceful proportions, and I love the way he moves. I put a representation of his head on a statue that I created for Daley Plaza in Chicago and I do think of him sometimes while I am in my studio.[16]
Some have speculated it may have been inspired by a French woman, Sylvette David, now known as Lydia Corbett, who posed for Picasso in 1954. Then 19 years old and living in Vallauris, France, Corbett would accompany her artist boyfriend as he delivered chairs made of metal, wood and rope. One of those deliveries was to Picasso, who was struck by her high ponytail and long neck. "He made many portraits of her. At the time, most people thought he was drawing the actress Brigitte Bardot. But in fact, he was inspired by [Corbett]", Picasso's grandson Olivier Widmaier Picasso told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2004.[citation needed]
"I think the Chicago Sculpture was inspired by her", said the grandson, author of Picasso, the Real Family Story. Picasso made 40 works inspired by her, said the grandson, including The Girl Who Said No, reflecting their
In the 1970s
There was an ongoing dialogue between Picasso's sculpture and his painting.[17] A further possible influence could lie in his portraits of Jacqueline herself, made in the early 1960s, specifically Bust of a Woman (Jacqueline) from May 1962 (Zervos XX, 243, Private Collection).[18] The historian Patricia Stratton has made a convincing case for Jacqueline Roque Picasso as the model for the Chicago sculpture.[19]
Local and pop culture
The Picasso was the site of an August 23, 1968, press conference in which
The sculpture was mentioned (and appears) in the 1980 film
The Chicago Picasso became and continues to be a well-known meeting spot for Chicagoans. Depending on the season and time of the month, there are musical performances, farmers' markets, a
See also
Notes
- ^ Lopez, Ruth (7 August 2017). "The story behind the 'controversial' Picasso sculpture that became a symbol of Chicago". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
- ^ a b 1967 August 15--Picasso Statue Unveiled In Civic Center Plaza. Chicago Public Library (URL accessed 14 August 2005).
- ^ Artner, Alan G. (2004-07-18). "Unfinished, but engaging, public art - 'Cloud Gate' and Crown Fountain intrigue". Chicago Tribune. Newsbank. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
- ^ a b "Picasso: Pablo and the Boss: The Amazing Story of Chicago's Picasso - WTTW". www.wttw.com.
- ^ "CPI Inflation Calculator". Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ a b The Letter Edged in Black Press, Inc. v. Public Building Commission of Chicago 320 F. Supp. 1303 (1970)
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Davich, Jerry (January 5, 2006). "Unveiling Picasso's steel city beginnings". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
- Tribune Company.
- ^ "Artropolis". Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. 2007. Archived from the original on 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ "An Old Maestro's Magic". Time. 1967-08-25. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ Zeldes, Leah A. (2010-07-26). "The Picasso put Chicago in a pickle". Dining Chicago. Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc. Archived from the original on 2011-11-27. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ "Pablo Picasso - Other Works - Art Gallery Svetlana & Lubos Jelinek". Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Chicago...Picasso...Anubis?". 2011. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
- ^ Persky, Mort (27 January 2012). "Inch by Column Inch". Retrieved 14 March 2012.
- ^ a b Coren, Stanley. "Muse and mascot: the artist's life-long love affair with his canine companions". Modern Dog. Archived from the original.
- ^ Wilson, Simon (1994) Picasso: Sculptor/Painter, A Brief Guide, London: Tate Gallery.
- ^ Rubin, William (ed) (1996) Picasso and portraiture: representation and transformation, New York: Museum of Modern Art, plate, p.475.
- ^ Stratton, Patricia S., "The Chicago Picasso: A Point of Departure (Chicago: Ampersand, Inc., 2017).
- ^ Mailer, Norman. Miami and the Siege of Chicago: An Informal History of the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 1968. New York: New American Library, 1968.
References
- Herrmann, Andrew, "The Woman Who Inspired City's Picasso", Chicago Sun-Times (Nov. 11, 2004)
- Artner, Alan G., "Chicago's Picasso sculpture: The unveiling of the puzzling sculpture changes the public art landscape". Chicago Tribune (Aug. 15, 1967)
- Stratton, Patricia S. "The Chicago Picasso: A Point of Departure" (Chicago: Ampersand Inc., 2017).