The Picasso- Most Iconic Public Art in Chicago (Chicago, IL)

Did you know that downtown Chicago is home to more than 100 sculptures, mosaics, paintings, and other artwork located in plazas, lobbies, and along the Riverwalk?  The Chicago Public Art Guide says so, and I certainly noticed Chicago’s amazing public art collections when I explored the city.

Do you know which public art is the starting point of the city’s impressive public art inventory? You may know the answer already from the title of this posting. ;)

 
In 1967, Mayor Richard J. Daley began the trend of installing non-commemorative sculptures throughout the city when he dedicated the untitled sculpture commonly known as “The Picasso,” located at the Richard J. Daley Civic Center Plaza. The installation of the statue inspired a cultural resurgence, arousing public interest in private and public investments in public art. Since then, many of Chicago’s downtown streets have become informal outdoor art galleries by displaying the works by many world-famous artists.

 
The Chicago Picasso stands 50 feet (15.2 m.) tall and weighs 147 tons. The Cubist sculpture by Picasso became the first such major public artwork in the downtown area and has since become the most iconic public art in Chicago and a well-known landmark on its own.

 
The cost of the sculpture’s construction was just under $352,000, paid mostly by the Woods Charitable Fund, the Chauncey and Marion Deering McCormick Foundation, and the Field Foundation of Illinois. Although Picasso was offered a payment of $100,000 for the piece, he refused and said he preferred to gift the statue to the city instead.

 
Personally, The Picasso is not my favorite work of his. But it is interesting how open-minded Chicago is with the use of art. Instead of being protective of the art by a world-renowned artist, it was amazing to see kids climbing on and sliding down the base of the sculpture. And with a fountain and many options for seating, the area felt almost like a small urban park or playground for kids, with the Picasso sculpture providing inviting jungle gym-like characteristics. It was rather shocking for me to see unprotected famous art, yet it felt good to see the art functioning as more than just visual esthetic.

Did you know that the sculpture was originally met with controversy? Before this sculpture, public sculptures in Chicago were mostly historical figures. When it was installed in 1967, the abstract design puzzled many. Also, the non-traditional materials and large scale angered some others. Many have speculated as to the exact subject of the artwork including a bird, a baboon’s head, an aardvark, the Egyptian deity Anubis, and even Picasso's dog. Since Picasso never explained what the sculpture was intended to represent, people continue to debate what it is. Regardless of what it is, it has become an icon of Chicago and a source of civic pride or its residents.

I do not know what you thought when you saw the Picasso for the first time. For me, a dog came to my mind when I first saw it, and never doubted it can be something else.

While I was exploring the Picasso, my husband told me that the Picasso appeared in the movie Fugitive and they identified the main actor’s location saying he was near the Picasso in the movie’s dialog. This fact was actually more interesting than the Picasso itself for me at that moment. I could not believe that I saw it at the movie, but never recognized it until I came to Chicago to see it after seeing the movie several times. ;)

Anyway, I found out more that this sculpture can be seen in other movies as well:
- The Blues Brothers (1980): during the chase scene leading to the Richard J. Daley Center.
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986): people in and under a reviewing stand dance to a song sung by Matthew Broderick, who plays Bueller.
- Switching Channels (1988): it makes an appearance in the film, which starred Kathleen Turner, Burt Reynolds, and Christopher Reeve.
- The Fugitive (1993): seen briefly as Richard Kimble (played by Harrison Ford) and his pursuers run across the plaza.
 
The iconic landmark is often the central point for music performances, farmers markets, and other gatherings held in front of Daley Plaza