Plenty of Horne
Sculpture Disappears from Downtown
The 36-foot-high, $200,000 work was installed by Blue Cross in 1978; new owner of property won't reply to calls, artist has no idea what happened to sculpture.
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The 36-foot-high, $200,000 work was installed by Blue Cross in 1978; new owner of property won't reply to calls, artist has no idea what happened to sculpture. Back to the full article.
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I have zero faith that this project will be well-executed. Building design seems to be a total non issue.
You couldn’t say the sculpture got ‘Plankintoned’ since it wasn’t damaged, then removed as that Grand property was. I guess you’d have to say the sculpture got ‘Mangled’?
sounds like an issue for Poirot!
The Federal Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 makes it illegal to destroy a work of art. Moving it, selling it, putting it in storage – all fair. Destroying it violates the intellectual property of an artist. Raimondi has the right to sue the developer if that has happened. Check out the details.
http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/martin/art_law/esworthy.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Artists_Rights_Act
Eyesore art finds a dumpster. Overpaid artist sad. It’s a start.
It ( is, was) a Bad Ass sculpture , severe in composition, it reminded me of a scalpel, though I did like it, a daily diet I think not. Too strong….
If it still exists, perhaps we should rotate art around town and drop this one in lets say, in front of the federal building, or the police department, or some medical facility were they like to cut.
Well I love a mystery, I think this one will be short lived……….
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wisconsin was a client for many years of the public relations firm known then as Barkin Herman Solochek & Paulsen. I was in charge of organizing the sculpture project’s selection committee. John Lloyd “Jack” Taylor, who had been curator of contemporary art at the Milwaukee Art Museum and then at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, headed that committee of art professionals. It was a several year project before Mr. Raimondi was selected, and then created “Peter John.” What a shocking waste this is, when it so easily could have been saved and placed elsewhere.
Knowing Wrong-way Walker’s disdain for public art, he’s sure to be involved somehow.
Probably some dumb job superintendent is responsible. Thought he’d get points from his boss.
Plenty of people saw it get removed. Anyone who wants to get details should first ask the employees at Avis, Boston Store, or the guys who park cars for the Courtyard Marriott.
Or just ask some of the bums who congregate on the benches at Zeidler Park. There are always a few there, and they are actually polite/non-aggressive ones.
Security cameras at any of those places or in the parking ramp above Avis would have likely captured some telling images.
Bottom line, it was certainly the project developer, who wanted to scrap it before asking questions to avoid the debates alluded to in this article. I love art and sculptures … but honestly, that particular one WAS dilapidated, outdated and not particularly impressive. Sorry, the rusty ”Peter John” 3-prong ain’t no Calatrava.
I would hope that the developer is not that crass as to willfully destroy the sculpture. He can’t be that much of a dullard, can he?
Milwaukee benefits from the public art we have. It adds texture and interest to the city. We need more pieces from the traditional to the avant garde.
I hope the developer has temporarily removed “Peter John” until construction is completed — but I’m afraid that my hope and reality may not match.
If the county park system had its act together, why not establish a program to selectively place orphan sculpture art in our parks? Obviously not everyone thinks highly of the “Peter John” sculpture (personally not my cup of tea), but why not place it in an appropriate, non-prominent, area of a county park that is accessible for those that may enjoy it.
Is there ANY update on this missing sculpture yet? Did Mangel mangel or melt it? Anyone know?