Artist:
Joan Miró
Title:
Miro's Chicago
Year:
1963
Adress:
Brunswick Building Plaza
www.publicartinchicago.com:
The playfully poetic images of Joan Miró’s art comprise a private mythology derived from the artist’s memories of his homeland in Catalonia, Spain. Using his unique visual symbolism, Miró imbued this sculpture with the mystical presence of an earth deity, both cosmic and worldly. Shapes and forms found in this composition evoke celestial imagery and common objects. The bell-shaped base draws the viewer’s gaze downward, symbolizing Miró’s association of the female form with the earth. The sphere at center represents the moon while the shape of the face is derived from that of a ceramic hook. The fork projecting from the top of the head is symbolic of a star, with individual tines representing rays of light.
This was initially called"The Sun, the Moon and One Star" and later renamed Miró’s Chicago.
For a better understanding of Miro's style, check out some of his paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago.
www.wikipedia.org:
Miró's Chicago (originally called The Sun, the Moon and One Star) is a sculpture by Joan Miró. It is 39 feet (12 m) tall, and is made of steel, wire mesh, concrete, bronze, and ceramic tile.
In 1969 the Brunswick Corporation commissioned a design from Miró for this sculpture, but they decided not to proceed due to the costs. This bronze model of Miró's Chicago (pictured below) is in the Milwaukee Art Museum collection. In 1979 the first female Mayor of Chicago, Jane Byrne, agreed to find funds for the sculpture assuming that another 50% could be found elsewhere. After the commitment of several institutions, foundations and individuals, construction began with Miró reducing the cost by donating his design to the city and the names of the contributors included in the specification. The City of Chicago contributed $250,000 and the majority funding came from the other donors.
It is located between the Cook County Administration Building and the Chicago Temple Building in the downtown Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. This location is directly to the south of the Daley Center, and nearly directly south of the Chicago Picasso. The sculpture was unveiled in this space, called Brunswick Plaza, on April 21, 1981.
The playfully poetic images of Joan Miró’s art comprise a private mythology derived from the artist’s memories of his homeland in Catalonia, Spain. Using his unique visual symbolism, Miró imbued this sculpture with the mystical presence of an earth deity, both cosmic and worldly. Shapes and forms found in this composition evoke celestial imagery and common objects. The bell-shaped base draws the viewer’s gaze downward, symbolizing Miró’s association of the female form with the earth. The sphere at center represents the moon while the shape of the face is derived from that of a ceramic hook. The fork projecting from the top of the head is symbolic of a star, with individual tines representing rays of light.
This was initially called"The Sun, the Moon and One Star" and later renamed Miró’s Chicago.
For a better understanding of Miro's style, check out some of his paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago.
www.wikipedia.org:
Miró's Chicago (originally called The Sun, the Moon and One Star) is a sculpture by Joan Miró. It is 39 feet (12 m) tall, and is made of steel, wire mesh, concrete, bronze, and ceramic tile.
In 1969 the Brunswick Corporation commissioned a design from Miró for this sculpture, but they decided not to proceed due to the costs. This bronze model of Miró's Chicago (pictured below) is in the Milwaukee Art Museum collection. In 1979 the first female Mayor of Chicago, Jane Byrne, agreed to find funds for the sculpture assuming that another 50% could be found elsewhere. After the commitment of several institutions, foundations and individuals, construction began with Miró reducing the cost by donating his design to the city and the names of the contributors included in the specification. The City of Chicago contributed $250,000 and the majority funding came from the other donors.
It is located between the Cook County Administration Building and the Chicago Temple Building in the downtown Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. This location is directly to the south of the Daley Center, and nearly directly south of the Chicago Picasso. The sculpture was unveiled in this space, called Brunswick Plaza, on April 21, 1981.