Travel Picks: Top 10 places with bad public art
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) – Whether publicly funded or privately obtained public art can be as controversial as it is indefinable.
Members and editors of travel website VirtualTourist.com (www.virtualtourist.com) have some very strong opinions which helped them come up with the top 10 pieces of bad public art. Reuters has not endorsed this list.
1. “Forever Marilyn” Seward Johnson; Chicago, Illinois
Detractors have found so many things to criticize about this work that it’s hard to know where to start: its 26-foot (7.9 meter) scale, its impropriety given that the movie to which it pays tribute is set in New York, and its perceived crudeness given that viewers are able to look directly up the screen siren’s dress. Luckily, she’ll only be there until 2012.
2. “Cow Parade” – Certainly these painted fiberglass cows had a certain charm when they first started popping up unexpectedly in various cities, but now it seems the world has had its fill. A few too many incarnations of this idea changed admiration to contempt.
3. Mary Tyler Moore Statue; Minneapolis, Minnesota
Perhaps the real Mary Tyler Moore can turn the world on with her smile, but this statue certainly can’t. Looking more like a woman spinning a basketball on her finger than one throwing her hat in the air, she might not even be identifiable were it not for the plaque at the base.
4. “Lifesaver” Niki de Saint Phalle; Duisburg, Germany
It seems the only nice word critics of this piece are willing to use is “bright.” Unfortunately there are other words they also use to describe this hard-to-figure-out, multi-colored, frenetic piece.
5. “The Calling” Mark di Suvero; Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The subject of debate for many, many reasons, these orange beams of steel inspire a “Really?” in many who view it. Said to represent both the sun as well as the grit of workers who built the town, its simplicity engenders more criticism than praise.
6. “Winkler Prins Monument” Anthony Winkler Prins; Amsterdam
Resembling a screw without a top, this giant pole has about as much charm as.well, a screw without a top. Constructed in 1970, the towering cylinder of 54 stacked disks is a blight against the graceful trees by which it resides.
7. “Magic Carpet Ride” (“Cardiff Kook”) Matthew Antichevich; Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California
This lovely California beach town takes great pride in its extraordinary ocean views, making it all the more peculiar that residents would allow something like this bronze surfer dude to remain in their midst. Having become something of a local joke
Article source: PRNewswire
Related posts:
- Travel Picks: Top 10 museum destinations
- Travel Picks: Top 10 university student destinations
- Mentor Foundation USA and Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy Partner to Offer Mentoring to Area Youth
- Travel Postcard: 48 Hours in Boston with children
- Travel Postcard: 48 hours in Cambridge, England
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
