Monthly Archives: August 2020

Pandemic Art Adventures: Boston University

The closing of museums during the pandemic put me in a state of art withdrawal.  In search of a fix, I traveled to various locations in the Greater Boston area looking for publicly-accessible art.  College campuses are great place to find art, so one day in June 2020 I visited the Boston University in Boston, MA to see what art I could find without having to go inside.  I found quite a bit of art, most of which I was able to identify either through plaques or an online search. There is some excellent information this BU-sponsored website. There are a couple of sculptures I couldn’t identify, which are shown at the end of the post – if you have any information about them, please share in the comments!

Gregg LeFevre – Untitled (1974). Do we really need the plant in the middle? My guess is that the artist would not be pleased.

 

Gregg Lefevre – Untitled (1974?) There is no date on the plaque but one source gives the date as 1974.
Sergio Castillo – Free at Last (1975) (above and below)
Edward Monti – Fountain (1976). In front of the College of Communication. (photos above and below)
Igael Tumarkin – Homage to Dürer (1976) photos above and below
Frank Smullin – Untitled (1979) photos above and below
Sergio Castillo – Explosions (1987) photos above and below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Russell Jacques – Point Counterpoint (1992) photos above and below
Armand LaMontagne – The Golden Greek (Harry Agganis) (2004)
Virgil Oertle – Rhett (2019)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carl Berkowitz – Armillary Sphere (no date). If you know the date of this sculpture, please let me know in the comments.
Edward Monti – Japanese Lantern (late 1970s) 

Edward Monti – Japanese Lantern (late 1970s) 

Edward Monti – Untitled (late 1970s) 
Edward Monti – Untitled (late 1970s) photos above and below



I have no information about this sculpture, which is visible from Storrow Drive. If you have any information about the artist, date or title, please let me know in the comments. Photos above and below.




I have no information about this sculpture. If you have any information about the artist, date or title, please let me know in the comments.

Pandemic Art Adventures: Brandeis University

The closing of museums during the pandemic put me in a state of art withdrawal.  In search of a fix, I traveled to various locations in the Greater Boston area looking for publicly-accessible art.  College campuses are great place to find art, so one day in June I visited the Brandeis University in Waltham, MA to see what art I could find without having to go inside.  I found quite a bit of art, most of which I was able to identify either through plaques or an online search. Brandeis has an excellent website with additional information here.  There were a few sculptures I couldn’t identify, which are shown at the end of the post – if you have any information about them, please share in the comments!

Louis Brandeis sculpture
Robert Berks (1922-2011) – Louis Dembitz Brandeis (1956).
K3B Robert Berks -Louis Dembitz Brandeis (1956) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

L6B Peter Grippe - The Three Freedoms (1963) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Peter Grippe (1912-2002) – The Three Freedoms (1963)

L9D Nathan Rapaport - Job (1967) (detail) Brandeis University
The statute of Job (1967) by Nathan Rapaport (1911-1987) is part of a larger Holocaust Memorial outside the Jewish Chapel at Brandeis.
L9C Nathan Rapaport - Job (1967) Brandeis University

M4B Maurice B. Hexter - Non-Objective (1970) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA M4C Maurice B. Hexter - Non-Objective (1970) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Maurice B. Hexter (1891-1990) – Non-Objective (1970).

M8F Jacques Lipchitz - Pegasus (Birth of the Muses) (1972) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Jacques Lipchitz (1891-1973) – Pegasus (Birth of the Muses) (1972)

O1H Ernest Trova - Tree (1982) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Ernest Trova (1927-2009) – Tree (1982)
O1I Ernest Trova - Tree (1982) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

O2B Lila Katzen - The Wand of Inquiry (1983) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Lila Katzen (1925-1998) – The Wand of Inquiry (1983).  The mockingbird is not part of the sculpture, but it insisted on remaining for the duration of my visit.
O2C Lila Katzen - The Wand of Inquiry (1983) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

O8B1 Penelope Jencks - Student and Knowledge (1986) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Penelope Jencks (1936- ) – Student and Knowledge (1986)
O8B2 Penelope Jencks - Student and Knowledge (1986) (2) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

P3D David Bakalar - Duality (1990) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
David Bakalar (1924- ) – Duality (1990)

P6B Rita Blitt - Inspiration (1993) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Rita Blitt (1931- ) – Inspiration (1993)

Q1E David Aronson - Ruach Yisrael (The Spirit of Israel) (1997) (1) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
David Aronson (1923-2015) – Ruach Yisrael (The Spirit of Israel) (1997)
Q1F David Aronson - Ruach Yisrael (The Spirit of Israel) (1997) (2) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

A6E Unknown Artist - Brandeis Peace Monument (2002) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Brandeis Peace Monument (2002). I have been unable to locate the identity of the artist(s) who created this work.  If you have any information, please let me know.

E1A1 Paul Belenkey - A Golem for Brandeis University (2014) Waltham, MA
A Golem for Brandeis University (2014) was created by Brandeis student and artist Paul Belenkey (Class of 2014).

E1A3 Chris Burden - Light of Reason (2014) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
Chris Burden (1946-2015) – Light of Reason (2014). These photographs were taken during the day; for the full effect, the work should be seen at night when the lamps are lit.
E1A4 Chris Burden - Light of Reason (2014) Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Brandeis sleeping sculpture 2
Muslim at Prayer (?).  I have been unable to locate any information about this statue, which is located in a small wooded glade near the university chapels.  At first I thought it was someone asleep or collapsed (after too much studying?), but I have been told it may represent a praying Muslim figure (perhaps intended to draw attention to the lack of a Muslim chapel?).

Brandeis sculpture 2
Armillary Sphere with Zodiac Signs.  I have been unable to find out any information about this artwork.  If you know anything about it, please let me know in the comments.

Gryzmish Brandeis
This abstract sculpture adorns the exterior wall of the Gryzmish building.  I have been unable to find out any information about it.  If you have any knowledge of the sculptor, date, etc., please contact me or leave a comment.  Thanks.

POSTSCRIPT: Outside the sculpture studio, I found a number of student works in various states of completion, waiting for the students to return after the untimely interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Pandemic Art Adventures: MIT

The closing of museums during the pandemic put me in a state of art withdrawal.  In search of a fix, I traveled to various locations in the Greater Boston area looking for publicly-accessible art.  College campuses are great place to find art, so one day in June I visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA to see what art I could find without having to go inside.  I found quite a bit of art, which I was able to identify either through plaques or an online search. MIT has an excellent website with additional information here.

K2B Eero Saarinen - MIT Chapel (1956) Cambridge, MA
Although Eero Saarinen’s 1956 MIT Chapel is a work of architecture, it’s compact size and modernist belltower make it feel like a sculpture, so I am including it here.  Other interesting works of architecture on campus are Baker House (1948), one of only two permanent structures in the US designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto (see below),
baker house 3
and of course, the whimsical Stata Center (2004), by Frank Gehry.
stata center 1
stata center 5

L8B Alexander Calder - La Grande Voile (The Big Sail) (1965) (1) MIT
Alexander Calder’s La Grande Voile (The Big Sail) (1965), made of painted steel, is located in McDermott Court.
L8C Alexander Calder - La Grande Voile (The Big Sail) (1965) (2) MIT

N1C Louise Nevelson - Transparent Horizon (1975) (1) MIT
Transparent Horizon (1975) by Louise Nevelson is made from Cor-Ten steel painted black and is located in front of the Landau building.
N1D Louise Nevelson - Transparent Horizon (1975) (2) MIT

N9B Gary Wiley - Invaders (1981) (detail 3) MIT
Gary Wiley’s Invaders, completed in 1981 and installed in 1982, consists of three different butterfly figures and is made of wrought iron, soft steel, mirrored and colored Plexiglas, marbles, and paint. The sculpture is intended to be mobile and is moved to different locations on campus from time to time.  I saw it at the alumni pool building.
N9C Gary Wiley - Invaders (1981) (detail 2) MIT N9D Gary Wiley - Invaders (1981) (detail 1) MIT

B1C Mark di Suvero - Aesop's Fables, II (2005)(1) MIT
Mark di Suvero’s Aesop’s Fables, II (2005) is made of steel painted red and is located on the northeast sector lawn.
B1D Mark di Suvero - Aesop's Fables, II (2005)(2) MIT

C6C Jaume Plensa - Alchemist (2010) (2) MIT
Alchemist (2010), by Jaume Plensa, is made of stainless steel painted white and is located on the lawn of the Stratton Student Center.
C6B Jaume Plensa - Alchemist (2010) (1) MIT