Above Image: Goddess of Liberty - original sculpture at Bob Bullock Museum. Unknown Sculptor.

 

2014 Vacation: A week in Austin, Texas

 Vacation Notes: My first stop was a guided tour of the Texas State Capitol building. While at it, I learnt that the statue atop the building is of "Goddess of Liberty",  and also, that it was a replica. The original statue is at the Bob Bullock State Museum.  Also overhear, in muted tone,  that a close up of...

Above Image: Austin Guitar Town - a public arts project

Feb 25, 2014: I come to Austin, Texas, for the very first time.

Over the past few years, its been fun covering public art at all my previous vacation destinations, including New York city, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Los Angles and Las Vegas. So why not Austin?

So begins my search of public art in Austin.

Art, especially Public Art reflects the essence of a city. Austin, Texas is known as the Live Music Capital of the World. The slogan became official...

Above Image: Space Junction of Energy - by Jerald Jacquard [1970]

Today I learned, that the first group exhibition of modern large-scale abstract public sculptures, was held, right here, in Chicago.. in 1968 in Pioneer Court.  It was called "Eight American Sculptors". It included the work of five Chicago sculptors [John Henry, Richard Hunt, Jerald Jacard, Edwin Strautmantis and Stephen Urry],  two sculptors from New York [Mark di Suvero and Michael Steiner] and one sculptor from Detroit [Michael Hall].

Past two weeks I...

Above Image: Man of Sorrow [1950/Marble] - by Marion Perkins

Marion Perkins was a self taught Chicago artist [1908-1961], who usually worked with scrap stones from abandoned buildings.. He began with carving soap into faces and figures, and moved to carving stones salvaged from abandoned buildings.

For much more information on Marion Perkins.. click here..

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Above Image: The Flight of Daedalus and Icarus - by Roger Brown

 Roger Brown [1941- 1997]

Brown donated his three homes and collections to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago [SAIC]. His Chicago home exists as the Roger Brown Study Collectiona house museum, archive and special collection of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Check out Roger Brown resources at SAIC.. click here.. (more…)...

 

Margie [1974] - by Ed Paschke at The AIC- Modern Wing

 

Official Website.. click here..

Ed Paschke [1939-2004]

 Ed Paschke is celebrated as one of the leading Chicago Imagists, a loosely associated group of artists who emerged in the late 1960s with an expressive style of figurative painting rooted in surrealism, outsider art and popular culture. Paschke often culled his subjects from newspapers, tabloid magazines, and television, producing works that added heat and funk to the Pop Art cool aesthetics. His paintings...

 

Above Image:  Let Your Yellowed Finers Do The Walking [1981] - by Karl Wirsum [Russell Bowman Gallery/Art Chicago/ 2010]

Hairy Who and The Chicago Imagists

 I have come across these weird sounding name "Hairy Who" many times, but was never too sure about them. The best way to learn is to do some research and write. So here is my post - Hairy Who and The Chicago Imagists..

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Above Image: Flamingo - by Alexander Calder

Chicago Outdoor Sculptures: Museum Without Walls

 In 1967, the city of Chicago welcomed Picasso's first monumental sculpture.  Although it is debatable whether it was Picasso's name which  attracted other famous artists, or they would have come anyways;  but soon;  within two decades of installation of Picasso's sculpture at Daley Center Plaza;  a whole lot of world class modern monumental sculptures were installed in outdoor public settings. The city earned the reputation of being a "museum without walls", with...