The Chicago Picasso is a large outdoor sculpture by Pablo Picasso in Chicago. Its abstract design confuses viewers, with some seeing a woman, baboon, or dog. Initially mocked, the city eventually embraced it and even adorned it with hats. Picasso refused payment and never visited Chicago, but was awarded $100,000 for the artwork.
The Chicago Picasso is a large outdoor sculpture designed by artist Pablo Picasso for the city of Chicago, Illinois. A gigantic example of modern art, it confuses viewers trying to determine what it represents. Some people see a curvaceous figure of a woman from a certain angle, while others look at the small eyes and broad nose and declare the Chicago Picasso to be a depiction of a baboon. Others say they see the figure of the artist’s Afghan hound, Kaboul, in the sculpture, and still others declare that it is simply an abstract work of art that represents nothing in particular.
The city of Chicago was initially not entirely welcoming to the Chicago Picasso. The steel statue, weighing 320,000 pounds (145,150 kilograms) and 50 feet (15.24 meters) tall, was installed in the summer of 1967 at the Chicago Civic Center, which is now the Daley Center. From the start, some people mocked him, with a woman at the unveiling ceremony calling him a cow and a local newspaper columnist scorning him. The city eventually embraced Picasso’s sculpture and even had fun with it. On special days, for example, the head of the Chicago Picasso is adorned with a variety of hats, such as the helmet of a Chicago sports team.
Pablo Picasso refused to say what his creation represents, and couldn’t even give it a name, leading to the simple title of Chicago Picasso. He refused to be paid for the artwork, donating it to the city and its people. It was generally accepted that the city did not have the money to pay the artist what the Chicago Picasso was worth. An article about the sculpture’s public unveiling published in 1967, however, claims that Pablo Picasso, when asked to create an outdoor artwork for the city, was awarded $100,000 US dollars (USD), funded by the Chicago Public Building Commission. Among other gifts presented to him was a Sioux Indian war cap.
The artist never visited Chicago, not even while creating or installing his sculpture. Chicago honored him upon his death in 1973 with a proclamation for mayor. Pablo Picasso had attracted much attention to outdoor art in Chicago, and the Chicago Picasso was the first outdoor sculpture of such monumental size created by the artist for installation in North America.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
