Public Art Decoded is a series of annual walking tours that take a in-depth look at the sculptures and installations that exist in popular Philadelphia locations. The tours explore how and why the artworks exist, the artists behind them, the untold stories, and both the historical and contemporary contextualization.
Search Results for: “giant frog”
Artwork
Five Water Spouts and Lintel
(12th-13th century)by Artists Unknown
Penn’s Landing between Walnut and Spruce Streets (along Delaware River)Acquired by aPA for the International Sculpture Garden, the carved stone spouts and lintel are characteristic of ritual bathing pools inside Hindu and Buddhist temples.
Artwork
Prometheus Strangling the Vulture
(1944, cast 1953)by Jacques Lipchitz (1891 - 1973)
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Parkway Entrance, East Terrace stepsIn 1952, the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s purchase of the Prometheus cast represented the institution’s largest payment for work by a living sculptor.
Artwork
Three Way Piece Number 1: Points
(1964)by Henry Moore (1898 - 1986)
Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 16th and 17th Streets“Sculpture,” said Henry Moore, “should always at first sight have some obscurities, and further meanings.”
Artwork
Magic Carpet
(2014)by Candy Coated (b. 1970)
The Oval, in front of the Philadelphia Art MuseumFor summer 2014, artist Candy Coated temporarily transformed The Oval in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum into a magical environment of color, pattern, illusion, and movement.
Artwork
City Hall
(1871-1901)by Alexander Milne Calder (1846 - 1923)
City Hall, Penn Square at Broad and Market StreetsThe exterior and interior of City Hall contain over 250 works of sculpture, many of which relate to Philadelphia’s government and history, principally attributed to one man, Alexander Milne Calder.
The International Sculpture Garden was conceived by the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art) in the 1960s as part of the anticipated U.S. Bicentennial celebration. Originally located at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia, most of the sculptures from the garden are now in storage.
As of 2017, only twelve medals have been awarded since the first was given in 1936, with recipients including Isamu Noguchi, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, and Mark di Suvero.
Story
The Association for Public Art’s History on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Posted: October 15, 2018
Over the years, the Association has advocated for good civic design, the commissioning and placement of permanent and temporary public art along the Parkway, and the presentation of innovative public programming.