Category public art

Alchemist in Cambridge and Humming in Lincoln, Huge Human Forms by Jaume Plensa

Humming by Jaume Plensa at the deCordova Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA and his Alchemist on MIT’s campus in Cambridge are the only two sculptures by Plensa that I have seen in person. I’ve known Humming for a few years, and I’m only just getting to know Alchemist. Like several other sculptures by this innovative versatile artist, both are much larger than […]

Brilliant Walls by Frank Gehry at MIT Stata Center

My visit to the Alexander Calder stabile at MIT in November led me to explore other forms of art outdoors on the university’s campus. The most compelling discovery there for me this winter was the Ray and Maria Stata Center designed by architect Frank Gehry with his firm Gehry Partners LLP. At a distance I had at times […]

Calder Stabile Stands Tall in Cambridge

Since 1965, Alexander Calder’s forty-foot-tall dark, handsome stabile* called La Grande Voile (The Big Sail) has stood on MIT’s campus within view of the Charles River, livened by small white sleek sails in certain seasons. Why now after nearly fifty years in Cambridge does this mighty metal sculpture call for new attention from someone like […]

Outdoor Sculpture Unleashes Power in Exhibit at Wellesley College

TONY MATELLI: New Gravity at the Davis Museum, February 6 – July 20, 2014   Lured by curiosity about controversial art on campus, I wouldn’t wait for better weather. That seemed so for other visitors too. The lively atmosphere and the great guidance of a Wellesley graduate increased my urge to share the fun and […]

Beloved Bronze Rhinos Nearby

After visiting bronze frogs on the Boston Common in December, I decided to revisit two bronze rhinos in my own Cambridge neighborhood.  Their names are Bess and Victoria, three tons each, created in the 1930s by sculptor Katharine  Lane to flank the entrance of Harvard’s then-new biological laboratories complex. By returning once again, this time with […]

Playground Enriched by Collaborative Art

Here are my recent photos and notes about the Boston Common Tadpole Playground, which I had often passed by on my walk to work for years. Finally a deliberate visit there during December holidays got me to focus on the art that has been integral to that playground for more than a decade.  In 2002 […]