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History of Clayton Public Art

Source: City records; Internet search
ALPHABETICAL LIST
Dancing Chairs
FM6 Walking Jackman
Man On A Horse
Shoe of Shoes
The Uncertainty of Ground State Fluctuation
Uzu Maki

'Man On A Horse' - Sculpture by Fernando BoteroMan on a Horse...by Fernando Botero...This statue is located at the intersection of Wydown and Hanley. The statue is constructed in bronze by Columbian artist Fernando Botero. The dimensions are 230(w) x 160(d) x 350(h) and the weight is 1.25 tons. The identity of of the rider and horse is unknown. The statue was created in 1999.

Botero's bronzes present his characteristic world of swollen forms and he has been asked many times about the origins of his puffed-up personalities. "My subject matter is sometimes satirical," Botero has said of his works. "These `puffed-up' personalities are being `puffed' to give them sensuality ... In art, as long as you have ideas and think, you are bound to deform nature. Art is deformation. There are no works of art that are truly realistic."

'Man On A Horse' - Sculpture by Fernando Botero Botero's cherished concept "art is deformation" is based on his belief that art is to transform reality. He deforms as an attempt to impart sensuality to objects, thus creating sensuality through his own unique forms. By doing so, his final purpose is to provide his viewers with an upbeat take on life.

'Man On A Horse' - Sculpture by Fernando Botero Born in Medellin, Colombia, in 1932, Botero began drawing in watercolors at a very young age. In 1952 he traveled to Europe and studied the classical masters in Madrid and Florence. In 1960 he moved to New York where he struggled against the dominant art trends and strove for many years to establish his own personal style.

He began making sculpture in 1973 in Paris, creating his particularly distinctive `puffed-up' shapes. Botero's work is included in numerous public and private collections, such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; The Baltimore Museum of Art; The Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Museo d'Arte Moderna del Vaticano, Italy; Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Caracas; Museo de Arte Moderno and the Museo Nacional, Bogota; The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Saltama, Japan, among many others.

Both playful and statuesque, Man on a Horse, is that and much more. Botero takes the idea of the monumental equestrian statue most often used to honor heroes and transforms it into an imposing and whimsical statement by using the exaggerated rounded forms frequently found in the folk art. A commanding presence at a major intersection, this sculpture is rapidly moving into the category of an area landmark. On long-term loan from the Gateway Foundation.

Location: Intersection of Wydown and Hanley
Address: Wydown Boulevard at S Hanley Road - Clayton, MO 63105
Material: Bronze
Owner: Gateway Foundation

References:
Location Map
Wikipedia Botero
Botero: Beloved Artist of the Americas
Botero Biography and Exhibitions



'The Uncertainty of Ground State Fluctuation' - Sculpture by Alice AycyockThe Uncertainty of Ground State Fluctuation...by Alice Aycyock...She is an internationally distinguished artist of public sculpture and gallery works. Her work is in major museum collections in the United States and Europe. This sculpture is located in front of the Center of Clayton at Gay Avenue. The sculpture was commissioned by the Clayton Art Commission (CAC). It was completed in 2007. The dimensions are 19' H, 20' W, 20' L and the statue is constructed of structural and spun aluminum, fiberglass, and thermo-formed acrylic. Capturing and activating space, a large conical form becomes a beacon sitting atop cascading aluminum sheets, ribbons, and a grid — the calligraphic energy is grounded in a circular space. It also seems to reach out to spaces beyond. A creator of large-scale semi-architectural pieces, Aycock developed this commissioned work to reflect both the surrounding buildings as well as the activities that take place within them.

Location: Center of Clayton
Address: 50 Gay Avenue - Clayton, MO 63105
Material: Aluminum, steel and thermo-formed plastic
Owner: City of Clayton
Donor: Commissioned by the Clayton Art Commission (CAC)

References:
Location Map



'Shoe of Shoes' - Sculpture by Victoria FullerShoe of Shoes...by Victoria Fuller...The dimensions are 8' H, 12' W, 5' D and it was completed in 1999. A giant high-heeled shoe assembled from hundreds of cast aluminum shoes sits in front of the offices of the famous shoe company.

As the artist describes, "Shoes are the building blocks of this large shoe sculpture, and metaphorically speaking, are like individual cells which make up the body of the shoe, seemingly containing the DNA of the larger shoe. Each small shoe is like a miniature replica of the larger one."

The artist lives and works in Chicago and created works for Arts in Transit and The People Project in 2002.

Location: In front of the Brown Shoe Company offices
Address: Maryland Avenue at Topton Way - Clayton, MO 63105
Material: Cast aluminum
Owner: Leased from the artist by the Brown Shoe Company

References:
Location Map



'Uzu Maki' - Sculpture by Gerard TsutakawaUzu Maki...by Gerard Tsutakawa...Completed in 2006 with dimensions at 15' h.

Location: Installed at The Crescent
Address: 153 Carondelet Plaza - Clayton, MO 63105
Material: Bronze


References:
Location Map



'Dancing Chairs' - Sculpture by Rod BaerDancing Chairs...by Rod Baer...Tilted, angled, back-to-back, and sideways–red and blue chairs dance in pairs in a long row suggesting that perhaps we might want to take part in the frolic. Commissioned by Arts in Transit and the Art Fair in collaboration with the Clayton Art Commission, this lively sculpture tumbles across a lawn between the playing fi elds and district school buildings.

Location: Moved to Clayton School District in 2001
Address: 7530 Maryland Avenue - Clayton, MO 63105
Material: Welded and painted steel


References:
Location Map



'FM6 Walking Jackman' - Sculpture by Ernest TrovaFM6 Walking Jackman...by Ernest Trova...The artist was born in St. Louis, MO in 1927. He died in 2009. The sculpture was completed in 1985. The dimensions are 9'2" H, 15' W 15' D. Streamlined, poised in space, the six almost life-size figures radiate from acube–the shiny surfaces capture the ever-changing street life. The sculpture explores Trova’s falling man motif that he began developing the 1960s. Featureless, without arms, the figures construct a dramatic space that we are invited to enter. The group of six figures, placed atop a tiered black granite base, radiate from a central cube, with three heads down and three heads upright. The sculpture is a later rendition of Trova's Falling Man series. This piece is one in a series of nine.

Location: Southwest corner of N. Brentwood Boulevard and Maryland Avenue
Address: 98 N Brentwood Boulevard - Clayton, MO 63105
Material: Stainless steel
Owner: Philip Samuels Fine Arts
Donor: Philip Samuels

References:
Location MapWikipedia Ernest Trova
St. Louis Walk of Fame
New York Times Obituary
St. Louis Post Dispatch Article 3/09/09
St. Louis Post Dispatch Article 3/10/09
St. Louis Post Dispatch Article 3/15/09