Chicago Picasso
Chicago
Picasso's sculpture in Daley Plaza was unveiled in 1967. It is 15 meters tall: at first it divided the city, but today it is one of its symbols.
A request to the artist
In the 1960s the city built a new skyscraper for its offices, with a big plaza in front. The architects asked Pablo Picasso, in France, for a work for the plaza, and he accepted.
From small model to giant
Picasso drew sketches and made a model just over one meter tall. Then the real sculpture was built in big pieces, tested, taken apart and put back together in the plaza. The steel is the same as the skyscraper behind it, which changes color over time.
What does it represent?
Picasso never explained it. Some see a bird or a baboon, others the face of a girl who posed for him. Some think of a horse, others of an anteater or an Egyptian god. At the unveiling many people protested because they didn't understand it.
A symbol of the city
Over the years, the people of Chicago grew fond of it. The plaza hosts markets, concerts and festivals. After this sculpture, downtown filled up with other modern works, by artists such as Miró, Chagall and Dubuffet.
