Minneapolis Sculpture Garden 1

A few weeks ago we got to spend a couple of days in Minnesota and managed to see a lot of art in a very short time.  Minneapolis has fine museums and I found lots of familiar artists on display.

Our visit to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden came after a bit of snow had fallen overnight.  Few people were out doing art that morning -- we could tell from the lack of footprints.

I'll start with the picture postcard shot, a sculpture commissioned for this spot.  The brochure says it's a fountain as well as a sculpture but there was no sign of running water that we could see.  Turned off for the winter?  This is one of those Pop Art crowd-pleasers that bring a smile to the lips of everybody but Scrooge and must be a big hit on school field trips.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Spoonbridge and Cherry, 1985-88

I was surprised to find a piece by Ellsworth Kelly, one of my favorite painters; I hadn't know that he did sculpture as well.  But once you find it's him, you can recognize the simple but elegant shapes "drawn" in exactly the perfect balance and relation to one another.

Ellsworth Kelly, Double Curve, 1988



















I'm not a huge fan of Henry Moore, having seen a lot of reclining nudes that I find difficult to tell apart.  If not for the snow adding a nice counterpoint, I might not even have shown you this picture.

Henry Moore, Reclining Mother and Child, 1960-61

I was more impressed by his upright figure.  It's aptly titled; the knife edge dividing the man from his sketchy lower parts is the focus of the composition.

Henry Moore, Standing Figure: Knife-Edge, 1961


















Here's a nice granite piece by Tony Smith that reminded me of a much bigger piece we saw last year at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.  Again, the snow lent a nice touch, emphasizing the edges.

Tony Smith, Amaryllis, 1965-68


















I'll write more about the sculpture garden in another post -- too much good stuff for one day!