I first encountered the art of Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen on a high school field trip to the Kroller-Muller museum in the Netherlands. This modern art museum was set in a lovely forest full of paved paths with bicycles scattered about that could be borrowed and left freely about the property. The area contained a memorable sculpture garden with a piece that immediately caught my attention. And how could it not? I had never before come across a giant, bright blue trowel. If I looked at it at the right angle, I could image the torso and serpentine neck of a long faced man. I liked it.
The artistic pair have collaborated on numerous fantastic works: a giant spoon with a cherry on top in Minneapolis, a clothespin in Philadelphia, and even a knife slicing through a Los Angeles building. I recently visited the new Olympic Sculpture Garden along the Seattle waterfront, and was immediately taken with the sight of a giant runaway typewriter eraser. I was amused to find that it had been created by the same duo. Something about their style just appeals to me.
In Denver, I stumbled upon another fun piece. The dustpan is a relatively new addition to the city, placed in front of the impressively angular, shiny Denver Art Museum, and it made me laugh. "The Big Sweep" has apparently garnered its share of dismay from "what an ugly piece of junk" to "what are you trying to say about our city?" but I liked the lightness of the crumpled paper and the way the whisk broom really seems to be sweeping (like the Seattle eraser brush looks like it's blowing in the breeze). The artists said they were inspired by the way the wind meets the mountains in Denver, and I like that explanation.
Also in Denver, at the site of the upcoming Democratic Convention, a giant blue bear peers into the building, probably looking for the remnants of someone's cookout. Or maybe he likes to eat conventioneers. I think these large pieces of art are a fabulous addition to city streets. Denver doesn't have a lot of charm in itself, so city officials have done well to incorporate these fun pieces.
Take this humongous calf, for instance of "Scottish Angus Cow and Calf," by Dan Ostermiller. A person only came up to the top of the calf's legs, and the cow was even bigger! These bovines were tucked to the side of the art complex, near an abandoned old building and some parking lots. I thought the sculptures were charming and quite fitting for a old cowboy town.
Western towns are full of these bronze animal statues. In Wyoming, the ever-present bucking bronco is the predominant motif, but I've also seen bison represented fairly often. They're probably fun to make, with all that fur. And Laramie does have a T. Rex, with a gaping mouth full of razor-sharp teeth that people throw pine cones into. I've conked his noggin on occasion. No harm done.
A newly-installed rearing mustang at the Denver airport has enjoyed its share of controversy. Besides being oddly proportioned and blue, it glares with glowing red eyes. Some people hate it and think it's cursed because it crushed the artist to death when he tried to move it. The red eyes may be a bit demonic, but the sculpture makes the boring approach to the airport a bit more interesting. I haven't heard of the evil stare affecting anyone's flight.
I enjoy the public art that makes a city a little more unique and memorable. Without it, my walk around Denver would have been a yawn-fest. The State Capitol building just wasn't all that exciting, and when you've seen one Cheesecake Factory/Hard Rock Cafe/Barnes and Noble/Taco Bell/[enter numerous other chain here], you've seen them all.
