Chicago Gothic

Steps from the Gleacher Center on Pioneer Court—right in front of 401 North Michigan Avenue, home of the Magazine’s office—warmly dressed art installers Nick Valenza and Doug Roberts spent the morning adding finishing touches to Chicago’s newest public-art installation: God Bless America (2005) by artist J. Seward Johnson Jr., grandson of the founder of Johnson & Johnson.

Workers install Johnson's God Bless America in Pioneer Court

Previously on display in Key West, Florida, the 25-foot-tall couple taking center stage reimagines Grant Wood’s American Gothic (1930), a popular painting in the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection, several blocks south. Only a few days earlier, tourists, office workers, and Chicago Booth students alike stopped to note the dethroning of Johnson’s King Lear, the previous tenant of the plaza’s pedestal.

Workers install Johnson's God Bless America in Pioneer Court

God Bless America dwarfs Pioneer Court’s other public piece: John Kearney’s permanent installation, a lonely moose made from chrome car bumpers that loiters near the Chicago River. A more familiar Kearney piece to many at the U of C may be his ram, nicknamed “Harold”—also made of car bumpers—that grazes in the grass outside the McCormick Theological Seminary.

The Hyde Park/Kenwood Community Conference has a virtual tour of public art in and around campus. A blogger at Public Art in Chicago tracks public art from all over the city.

J.O.M.

Although Johnson has already done his last step creating the Styrofoam covered by urethane statue, two workers reassembling the piece still had to manually piece it back it back together.

December 10, 2008

Hi Marilyn --

It appears that you found our blog entry about Seward's reimaginging after reading the Tribune's article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-0123-big-chicagojan23,0,3326412.story

You can leave comments directly for the Tribune writers at the bottom of the article, using their comment form. It's unlikely they'll see your feedback here accompanying our article.

All the best,
-j.o.m.

Posted by: J.O.M. at January 23, 2009 5:03 PM

I felt that you ended your Chicago Trib. article today on a snide, uppity note - directing "art lovers" to the Art Institute. Don't art lovers have a sense of humour enabling them to enjoy the huge reminder of Grnat Wood's work? We as a family ventured downtown this past Christmas season and thoroughly appreciated the visiting sculpture. Grant Wood's painting has been reinvented for decades substituting dog head for the human faces, characatures of movie stars, etc. I love the origninal painting but also love the constant reinterpretations too. Viva la sense of humor!

Posted by: Marilyn at January 23, 2009 4:46 PM

Hello, art lovers.

I wanted to answer your question concerning the whereabouts of King Lear. As the Director of The Sculpture Foundation I would be happy to fill you in. The Foundation owns the monumental-scale works of art that have been appearing on the Zeller property on Michigan Avenue. The newest piece called GOD BLESS AMERICA is by sculptor Seward Johnson. This is from his series ICONS REVISITED. The piece that was in residence before the farming couple was KING LEAR, also by Seward Johnson. You may not realize that this same sculptor created the smaller scale CRACK THE WHIP piece near Navy Pier. Same artist/different series.

The King Lear sculpture is now in front of an art museum in Key West, Florida. We anticipate rotating into the Michigan Ave plaza surprising and appealing works of art in collaboration with the owners of the property, The Zeller Corporation, owned by Paul Zeller. Hoping that it inspires some conversations in downtown and some interesting thoughts for people passing through. Dove-tailing with works of art at the Institute's collection is especially pleasing for us. You can see more of Johnson's art at his website: www.sewardjohnson.com

Sincerely,
Paula Stoeke
Director
The Sculpture Foundation

Posted by: paula stoeke at January 6, 2009 2:49 PM

Where is the King Lear Statue now?

Posted by: Mike at December 20, 2008 11:29 AM

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