2008: Anne Wilson @ Rhona Hoffman

Above: "Wind-Up: Walking the Warp," by Anne Wilson, a sculpture, and performance executed January 20-25, 2008.

Anne Wilson
"Anne Wilson: Portable City, Notations, Wind-Up"
January 21 - March 1, 2008
Rhona Hoffman Gallery
118 N. Peoria Street
Chicago, IL

http://www.rhoffmangallery.com/

http://www.annewilsonartist.com/ 

"Nine participants accomplished the performed labor or 'walking the warp,' converting the front gallery into a six-day performance of walking, counting, rolling, and winding. The rhythmic act of building a 40-yard weaving warp on a 17' x 7' frame was viewed from the Peoria Street sidewalk and resulted in a sculptural presence within the gallery."

"The performance warping team included Sara Rabinowitz, Carla Duarte, Annie Egleson, Jongock Kim, Rosemary Lee, Christy Matson, Rachel Moore, Rana Siegel, and Anne Wilson. Jeroen Nelemans (DVD) and Surabhi Ghosh (still photos) documented the project. Sara Rabinowitz designed the gallery publication and Ghosh assisted with publication guidance. Mike Slattery fabricated the stainless steel frame; Kristin Frieman contributed clothing from her line RedShift; Judith Leemann, Mark Jeffery, and Fred Nagelbach offered their wisdom; and Joan Livingstone generously gave her studio for practice sessions."

Quotation above from http://www.annewilsonartist.com/windup-chicago-credits.html

Above:
Images (1-2) January 25, 2008, at the public reception;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.

1963: David Smith @ Art Institute of Chicago

Above:  David Smith, "Cubi VII" at left; Alexander Calder, "Flying Dragon" at right.

David Smith
"Cubi VII"
1963
Stainless steel, welded and ground
The Art Institute of Chicago's North Garden
Michigan Avenue, south of Monroe Street
Chicago, IL

http://www.artic.edu/

In the foreground of the image above, an artwork, "Cubi VII," 1963, by one of the most important American sculptors of the post-war era, David Smith (1906-1965), is shown in The Art Institute of Chicago's North Garden; in the background, "Flying Dragon," 1975, by Alexander Calder (1898-1976) is visible.

Above:
Image (1) September 20, 2006;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.

1977: Claes Oldenburg @ Social Security Administration Building

Claes Oldenburg
"Batcolumn"
1977, modeled on a piece shown in 1975
Steel and aluminum, painted with polyurethane enamel
Harold Washington Social Security Administration Building
600 W. Maidson Street
Chicago, IL

Standing roughly 30 meters tall, the painted steel sculpture "Batcolumn," by Claes Oldenburg (b. 1929, Stockholm, Sweden; raised in Chicago), has, as a result of its location, become more difficult to photograph since September 11, 2001. Emblematic of both sport and also violence, phallic, finally executed on a monumental scale by a central authority using public money, "Batcolumn" suggests that Oldenburg knew Chicago well. The "Batcolumn" maquette from 1975, presented to the General Services Administration, now held by the Smithsonian Institution, was painted blood red: http://collections.si.edu/search/direct/L3NlYXJjaC9yZXN1bHRzLmh0bT9xPXJlY29yZF9JRDpzaXJpc19hcmlfMjkwOTE2

Above:
Image (1) January 9, 2007;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.

1974: Alexander Calder @ Federal Plaza

Alexander Calder
"Flamingo"
1974, modeled on a piece shown in 1973
Steel, painted
Federal Plaza
Dearborn Street, between Jackson Boulevard and Van Buren Street
Chicago, IL

Standing roughly 16 meters tall, the painted steel sculpture "Flamingo," 1974, by American artist Alexander Calder (1898-1976), occupies Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Federal Plaza, sitting on the west side of Dearborn Street, between Jackson Boulevard and Van Buren Street.  Riveted, the piece relates in its method of fabrication to the ironwork of the city's civil engineering; but, its color and curvilinear form stand in high contrast to the surrounding modern architecture.

Above:
Image (1) September 20, 2006;
Image (2) October 27, 2007, Chicago Police mounted at anti-war protest in Federal Plaza.
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.

1967: Pablo Picasso @ Daley Plaza

Pablo Picasso
Untitled.
1967, modeled on a piece begun in 1965
COR-TEN steel, on stone base
Daley Plaza
Washington Boulevard, between Clark Street and Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL

Standing roughly 15 meters tall, the COR-TEN steel sculpture by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was commissioned in 1963, designed in 1965, and dedicated in 1967. Picasso is said never to have visited the city, or accepted payment for the artwork. See newspaper columnist Mike Royko's report from the sculpture's dedication on August 16, 1967: "Picasso and the Cultural Rebirth of Chicago"

Above:
Image (1) September 20, 2006;
Image (2) April 29, 2005, Critical Mass;
Image (3) April 29, 2005, Critical Mass;
Image (4) April 13, 2013, The Art Institute of Chicago's "Picasso and Chicago" promotional installation by Chicago Scenic Studios;
Copyright Paul E. Germanos.