Random Art Story, Two
Next in our series of overlooked Wellington public art is this beauty here to the right.
If you've not seen it before I'd be extremely surprised, because it's plonked pretty much squarely opposite the Lido, somewhere seeming to always be awash with punters tipping the usual variety of liquids and solids into themselves.
As you can see, it's a great piece, bronze, and textured in a marvelously subtle way. The slightly abstract lines just make it all the more curious to look at, and the complete absence of nose-hair suggests the model was extremely well-kempt.
So... what is it?
This bust is called Great Head, and was commissioned in 1986 by the Renouf's. The sculptor is Terry Stringer, some of whose other work is shown in the link, and more here.
It's a great piece in one of my favourite parts of town. There's something distinctly cosmopolitan about that corner of Wakefield and Victoria. Something I wish more of Wellington had!
But one doesn't complain.
There was indeed an "arts bonus" scheme like you describe. It seems to have had mixed results, but in this case I quite like the Terry Stringer sculpture and I don't think the streetscape suffers from the extra floors on the building behind it.
Really Anon? You think those sculptures are ugly? Actually, I quite like them. I guess that's why "ugly" is in the eye of the beholder!
i agree. i think anon might be effected by how the sculpture got there, and ignoring how damn weird and great it is.
I think it's great. That little corner of the world to me aches to be (re-)joined with its lost sibling, the stretch of Manners St btwn Victoria and Willis with it's similar architecture, canopies, birch (?) trees, and so on.
I also think it's great that you think the lack of nose-hair "suggests the model was extremely well-kempt" rather than, suggests that the sculptor sensibly said "there's no bloody way I'm going to try to cast nasal filia". :)
Check this out:
http://www.oddee.com/item_89236.aspx
Didn't this one date back to an 80's attempt to have builders pay for public art?
Speculators could gain an extra floor or two on a building by allocating a % of costs to art - a policy that seems to have been quietly dropped once they found they could get away with just buying one expensive ugly object like this, or the Henry Moore in the Botanic Gardens.