Public Art
by holditnow
Rome Fountain of the Four Rivers Bernini
When it comes to public art you would be hard pressed to beat Bernini’s masterpiece The Fountain of the Four Rivers in Rome’s Piazza Navona…….well maybe the Trevi Fountain in the same city. Public art or art in public spaces is freed from the confines of the gallery and adorns our cities like jewels in a crown or at the very least gigantic garden gnomes decorating our financial and cultural institutions. As I am in the middle of planning our next escape I was going through some old photos and came up with a theme. Here are a few examples taken from some our travels over the years.
Bilbao
Bilbao Spider Louise Bourgeois
Bilbao Puppy Jeff Koons
Washington DC
Washington Typewriter Eraser Claus Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen
Washington Brushstroke Roy Lichtenstein
If you ever find yourself in Washington and are looking for a place to eat, I highly recommend the food-court at the National Museum of the American Indian (unfortunate name but really good food).
Washington Monumental Head Giacometti Balzac Rodin
Chicago
Chicago Flamingo Calder
Chicago Untitled Picasso
Chicago Four Seasons Chagall
Between the architecture and all the public art in Chicago you don’t even have to step foot inside an art gallery to see some of the biggest names in Art History. I would say, right up there with Bernini’s fountain would have to be Anish Kapoor’s Cloudgate referred to as ‘the Bean’ by locals. I’ve never seen an artwork have such universal appeal. Both young and old are drawn to it. The minute you see it you automatically start walking towards it. It is like a magnet.
Chicago Cloudgate Anish Kapoor
Cleveland
Cleveland The Thinker Rodin
Not all public art has it easy. Cleveland’s Thinker had a bomb placed under it. Read more here Slashed, Smashed and Blowed up: Blowed up Real Good. There’s tons more I didn’t include, but I recommend the next time you’re out and about take a look around you might be surprised what you encounter.
holditnow 
I visited Chicago earlier this year and didn’t see much. I was bummed about that trip. I really wanted to go on the architecture river tour.
And I’ve yet to visit the National Museum of the American Indian in DC. I think I’ll do so this week and check out the food there.
That’s too bad Chicago’s great. We did the boat tour and it was so worth it. The Art Institute is also a must. We went to DC last summer and it was museum heaven. I hope you enjoy your meal. The other great food we had when we there was at an Indian restaurant called Rasika. We got the Palaak Chaat – deep fried spinach, holy-moly you could have it as an appetizer, main course and dessert. I would go back to DC just for that.
Oh yes! I agree about Rasika. I went there a couple years ago and had a pastry thing, I forgot what it was, but I loved it so much.