Because of our two features on public art in this month’s edition of 15 Bytes, we’ve been keeping our eyes out for art in the public eye . . .
The Utah Museum of Fine Arts recently added a sculptural landmark to Salt Lake’s east bench when they installed John Henry’s Le Mont Rouge at Red Butte Gardens.
The 2004 sculpture, purchased with funds from the Phyllis Cannon Wattis Endowment for Modern and Contemporary Art, was originally planned for the UMFA, but its size (23′ x 21′) made its placement there difficult and resulted in its current placement in an affiliated public venue. The aluminum sculpture has been installed near the entrance to the outdoor concert venue and so is viewable without gaining admission to the gardens.
Large in scale, rectilinear in design, and painted in a bright crimson red fitting for its University of Utah setting, Le Mont Rouge effectively displays Henry’s trademark visual vocabulary. John Henry (American, b. 1943) is best known for his massive sculptures that create dynamic public spaces. The abstract geometric forms that have defined his work for more than forty years have aesthetic and historic roots in the Constructivist movement of the early twentieth century. Henry’s supreme commitment to the materiality of his work and the integrity of the art-making process is evident in the architectural design of Le Mont Rouge.
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Categories: Art Lake City | In Plain Site | Visual Arts
