The Nichols Bridgeway

A view of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago from the Millennium Park .. These two major tourist attractions have a heavy-traffic street inbetween, the Monroe Street .. and it's only logical that a pedestrian bridgeway connects them ... and the answer to a seamless transition from the Millennium Park to the Art Institute is the Nicholas Bridgeway ...
This pedestrian bridge opened May 16, 2009 ..



The Nicholas Bridgeway crossing over the Monroe Street ...



A view of the Nicholas Bridgeway from the Modern Wing [of the Art Institute of Chicago] .. as it runs over the Monroe Street and the Millennium Park is in the background ...



The beginning of the pedestrian Nicholas Bridgeway ...

The Nicholas Bridgeway ...
This pedestrian bridge begins at the Great Lawn of Millennium Park, crosses over Monroe Street and connects to the third floor of the Modern Wing, the Art Institute of Chicago.
The bridge opened May 16, 2009.
Architect: Renzo Piano ..
Description: approximately 620 ft long and 15 ft wide.





The bridge leads to a cafe with outdoor seating arrangements overlooking the park.

Public Art at the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is a treasure trove of world renowned paintings and sculptures .... and although whats inside of the building won't qualify as being "public" art ... what's outside of the building does ...
Here's some outstanding pieces of public art at the Art Institute:

# The Entrance ... click here ...
"The Lions" - by Edward Kemeys ..
# The South Garden .. click here ...
"The Fountain of the Great Lakes" - by Lorado Taft ..
# The North Garden ... click here ...
It has three pieces of sculptures:
"Large Interior Form" by Henry Moore ..
"Cubi VII" by David Smith ..
" Flying Dragon" by Alexander Calder ...
# The Pritzker Garden ... click here ...
"White Curve" by Ellsworth Kelly ..
# The Nicholas Bridgeway ... click here ...
A pedestrian bridgeway between Millennium park and the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago ... Architect: Renzo Piano
# "Fountain of the Tritons" by Carl Mille ..



The Lions ..
Sculptor: Edward Kemeys
Description: 1894, Bronze
Gift of Mrs. Henry Field to The Art Institute of Chicago
Location: The Art Institute of Chicago ..



Larger than life-size, the lions are realistically depicted, but have inspired more affection than fear over the years. Their poses are similar although not identical; one is “on the prowl” and the other “stands in an attitude of defiance.”

These lions are prepped-up for different occasions ... like wearing decorations at Christmas times or the Bears helmet to support the team ... You can see these photos .. click here ...

The Pritzker Garden [at the Art Institute of Chicago - Modern Wing]

The Margot and Thomas Pritzker Garden ..
Named for long-time and generous supporters of the Art Institute.

The garden features the "White Curve" by Ellsworth Kelly ..
It's the largest work Kelly has made to date and is in the Art Institute’s new Modern Wing ...

Fountain of the Tritons

Fountain of the Tritons ..
Sculptor: Carl Mille ..
Location: McKinlock Court [ Outdoor Dining] at the Art Institute of Chicago ...

I was very impressed by Carl Mille's works ... Here's a website I found that gives an insight into his works ... "Millesgarden" .. click here ..

Fountain of the Great Lakes [South Garden - Art Institute of Chicago]

Fountain of the Great Lakes ..
Sculptor: Lorado Taft ..
Bronze work created between 1907-1913.
Location: South Garden of the Art Institute of Chicago ...

As the name "Fountain of Great Lakes" suggests, this fountain represents the five great lakes .. The five women are so arranged that the water flows through them in the same way water passes through the Great Lakes. 'Superior' is on the top and 'Michigan' on the side both empty into the basin of 'Huron' who sends the stream to 'Erie' whereas 'Ontario' receives the water and gazes off as it flows into the ocean ..

The fountain is Taft's response to Daniel Burnham's complaint at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 that the sculptors charged with ornamenting the fairgrounds failed to produce anything that represented the great natural resources of the west, especially the Great Lakes. The fountain depicts five women that represent the five Great Lakes ... and the water flows through them in the same way water passes through the Great Lakes.

The sculptor Lorado Taft was an instructor at the School of the Art Institute for several years.

The garden surrounding the fountain was designed by the Office of Dan Kiley, who was a renowned late 20th Century landscape artist.

The North Garden [ of the Art Institute of Chicago]

Large Interior Form ...

Sculptor: Henry Moore [British 1898-1986]

Description: 1983 .. Bronze ... H-16.5f ..

For more on the "Large Interior Form" .. click here ...





Cubi VII ..
Sculptor: David Smith ....
In the Art Institute of Chicago North Garden in the Loop. It is stainless steel work of art created in 1963. This is part of a Roman numeral series of stainless steel works housed around the world.





Flying Dragon
Sculptor: Alexander Calder..
Description: 1975 ... Painted steel plate ..
Location: North Garden, The Art Institute of Chicago..

The North garden is also called the Stanley McCormick Memorial Court ...

San Marco II

San Marco II ..
Sculptor: Ludovico De Luigi ..
Description: 1986, Bronze, H 9 ft.
Purchased by Financial Place Corporation ..
Location: One Financial Place Plaza,
440 S. LaSalle St ..

De Luigi conveyed a sense of motion by capturing the horse in mid-stride. Deeply incised lines emphasize the animal’s musculature, implying great power and virility.

The inspiration for Ludovico de Luigi’s San Marco II came from a set of 11th century sculptures of four horses that grace the facade of St. Mark’s Basilica on the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. By adding idealized characteristics, the artist illustrates the historic association of horses with strength and progress.

REF: Ludovico De Luigi [San Marco II]..

Giant Pyramid Topiaries

Giant Pyramid Topiaries ..
Location: Chicago Botanic Garden [Heritage Garden] ...
The topiaries are made of yellow and red Joseph's Coat, also known as Parrot Leaf or Calico Plant ..
Scientific Name: Alternanthera ficoidea ..

Offlate, my posts here have dropped, despite the fact that I intend to cover soooo much more ... Well, since the spring season set in and the flowers started to bloom, all my spare time are spent at the Chicago Botanic Garden! So I thought about posting some photos from the garden ...
# You may check out the flower photos at "Urbs in Horto" ... click here ..





I love this place and would recommend it to anyone who even slightly likes flowers .. whats more, the entrance is free! ... And it's huge spread over an area of 385 acres .. has 26 gardens like English Walled Garden, Japanese Garden, Lakeside Garden, Sensory Garden, Native Plant Garden and so on ... There are lakes and islands ... and also some pieces of sculptures ...



Carolus Linnaeus
Sculptor: Robert Berks, American (b. 1922)
Details: Bronze, 1982
Location: Heritage Garden
A gift from Mrs. Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr.

This figure is of Swedish physician Linnaeus [1701-1778] who established "binomial nomenclature", the international system of naming plants and animals that is still in use today [Genus and species] ...
He is shown reaching eagerly toward the plants in his path with a collector’s enthusiasm. The bird in the sculpture — a golden plover, which can fly for thousands of miles, refers to the many students of Linnaeus who traveled the globe collecting plants for him to name.



Here's a shout out for Venus [extreme left] ... who I met in the garden .. with her sisters and mother ... celebrating her 60th birthday! Happy Birthday Venus!!!

Hopes and Dreams

Hopes and Dreams ...
Artists: Juan Chavez and Corinne Peterson ..
Description: Carved clay tile and mosaic mural ..
Location: Roosevelt [Red Line - Orange/Green Line]

This 1,600 square feet of mosaic is composed of more that 4,000 tiles It's created by men, women and children on the Museum Campus in the summer of 1999 ..

Participants were asked to create images relating the themes that link the citywide, yearlong cultural exploration of Project Millennium: origins, transitions, new directions, discovery and technology, the environment, and shaping community. They also incorporated their hopes and dreams for the new millennium into their carved tiles. The mosaic design takes the form of a shifting landscape. Tiles shape the clouds, plants, trees, forests, oceans, earth and space. The entire composition can also be seen to be a human figure in nature, symbolizing the constant human search to understand nature, our surroundings, and ourselves.

Untitled - [By Ira Sapira]

Untitled ..
By - Ira Sapira ..
Rosenthal Fine Art Inc.
Location: I saw this the Art Chicago exhibition [May 1-4, 2009] at the Merchendise Mart ..


Description: Painted Steel with stainless steel base 156 x 77 inches ...

Fly's Eye Dome

Fly's Eye Dome ..
Artist: Buckminster Fuller ..
Location: I saw this the Art Chicago exhibition [May 1-4, 2009] at the Merchendise Mart ..

This 1977 Buckminster Fuller Fly's Eye Dome is a 24ft original fiberglass and hardware structure. It's made of 50 fiberglass sections, weighs a total of 3,500 lbs, and is assembled by hand with approximately 1,050 stainless steel bolts. This prototype was fabricated in California, and is the only 24’ dome Fuller produced.

Throughout his life Fuller was concerned with the question , "Does humanity have a chance to survive lastingly and successfully on planet Earth, and if so, how?" orginally these domes were conceived as living structures, with fiberglass windows to be placed in each hole. the dome, Fuller thought, could be developed to harness wind and solar energy.