Bust of Sylvette explained

Bust of Sylvette
Artist:Pablo Picasso, Carl Nesjar
Year:1968
Material:Concrete
Dimensions:36 x 20 x 12.5 (ft)
Metric Unit:m
Imperial Unit:ft
City:New York, New York

Bust of Sylvette is a large sculpture located in New York City's University Village, designed by Pablo Picasso and built by his collaborator Carl Nesjar. Constructed in 1968, the sculpture was declared a New York City landmark in 2008 along with the surrounding buildings.[1]

Like Sylvette in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Bust of Sylvette is a sculpture inspired by Lydia Corbett, who was his muse for over 60 portraits in 1954.

Background and construction

Bust of Sylvette was sculpted by the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar in 1968 based on a design by Pablo Picasso, who had created a 2-highNaN-high folded-metal version of the sculpture in 1954.[2] I. M. Pei, the architect of University Village in New York City, had first become acquainted with Nesjar in 1958, when Nesjar had showed Pei some of his betograve artworks (in which concrete was sandblasted to create different textures). Picasso met Corbett near his studio in Vallauris, France in 1954, when she was 19 years old. Intrigued by her unique look, she became his muse for three months that same year and it's said that the ensuing Sylvette series was the inspiration "that launched a thousand French ponytails."[3] Corbett's inspiration was not limited to France, however, as seen in subsequent sculptures. Like Rotterdam's Sylvette, New York's Bust of Sylvette was inspired by Picasso's original portraits and constructed using the betograve technique that Nesjar pioneered.[4]

In November 1967, New York University commissioned Nesjar to create Bust of Sylvette for the University Village complex's courtyard.[5] A model of the sculpture was being displayed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) at the time, and two MoMA trustees—the art collector Allan D. Emil and his wife Kate—agreed to finance the construction of a full-sized artwork.[6] A concrete foundation pad was installed in the complex's courtyard to support the weight of the 60ST sculpture.[7] Bust of Sylvette was dedicated on December 9, 1968.[8]

Description

The sculpture measures 36feet high and weighs 60ST.[9] The sculpture is long at its widest point, and it is carved out of a slab measuring thick.[10] The figure is a sculpture in-the-round of the head, neck, and shoulders of a woman named Sylvette David,[11] [12] who is depicted with a pigtail.[13] The sculpture includes black-stone basalt pebbles imported from Norway. Before the basalt pebbles were added to the sculpture, they were placed in watertight wooden boxes, which were then shaken to ensure that there were as few air pockets as possible. The spaces between the basalt were then filled with cement grout, and the resulting aggregate was then coated with in buff-colored cement.[14] Parts of the cement are engraved, revealing pieces of the aggregate beneath it.[15] Unlike Rotterdam's Sylvette, Bust of Sylvette is constructed in a pinwheel shape, matching the surrounding buildings.

Bust of Sylvette was originally intended for Kips Bay Towers, which Pei had also designed; however, Kips Bay Towers' developer William Zeckendorf had rejected the piece. Early drawings for Society Hill in Philadelphia indicate that a similar artwork was also planned for that development, though the piece was never executed there. In addition to serving as a lawn decoration, the sculpture was intended to emphasize University Village's pinwheel layout. A further plan by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1972 to wrap the sculpture in brown fabric was never completed.

Significance and legacy

Both the sculpture and its surrounding buildings were designated New York City landmarks in 2008.[16] [17] [18]

Bust of Sylvette was the second outdoor sculpture by Picasso to be built in the Western Hemisphere, following the unnamed sculpture at Chicago's Richard J. Daley Center.[19] Bust of Sylvette is one of two concrete sculptures designed in collaboration between Nesjar and Picasso worldwide and is the sole outdoor Picasso piece in New York City.[20]

See also

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bust of Sylvette . NYU . NYU . November 26, 2024.
  2. Web site: 2009 . Sylvette David . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170830102345/http://www.petulloartcollection.org/the_collection/about_the_artists/artist.cfm?a_id=18 . August 30, 2017 . July 14, 2009 . Anthony Petullo Collection.
  3. Web site: Sylvette, 1954 by Picasso . PabloPicasso.org . November 26, 2024.
  4. Web site: October 17, 1967 – “Sylvette” gets the go-ahead . VillagePreservation.org . Village Preservation . November 26, 2024.
  5. News: Margold . Jane . November 16, 1967 . 60-Ton Picasso Sculpture Due for City . Newsday . 3A . 2574-5298 . .
  6. News: November 16, 1967 . NYU Given Big Sculpture by Picasso . Los Angeles Times . A2 . 0458-3035 . .
  7. Web site: Shepard . Richard F. . January 30, 1968 . Picasso Trusts His 'Right Arm' to Work Alone; Carl Nesjar Is Hard at Work On a 60-Ton Concrete Bust In Greenwich Village . September 23, 2024 . The New York Times . 0362-4331 . September 23, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240923171709/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/01/30/archives/picasso-trusts-his-right-arm-to-work-alone-carl-nesjar-is-hard-at.html . live .
  8. Web site: Canaday . John . December 10, 1968 . A 60-Ton Concrete Picasso Is Dedicated at N.Y.U. . September 23, 2024 . The New York Times . 0362-4331 . September 28, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928013900/https://www.nytimes.com/1968/12/10/archives/a-60ton-concrete-picasso-is-dedicated-at-nyu.html . live .
  9. News: December 12, 1968 . Dedicate Outdoor Sculpture . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240923171708/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ithaca-journal-dedicate-outdoor-scul/155850620/ . September 23, 2024 . September 23, 2024 . The Ithaca Journal . 22 . newspapers.com.
  10. News: November 16, 1967 . NYU Given Big Sculpture by Picasso . Los Angeles Times . A2 . 0458-3035 . .
  11. Web site: Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, LLC . June 2008 . University Village . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235350/http://www.nyu.edu/nyu.plans.2031/pdf/NYU_LPC-History.pdf . March 3, 2016 . July 2, 2009.
  12. News: Amateau . Albert . July 2, 2008 . How much of N.Y.U. superblock to landmark is issue . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928014904/https://www.amny.com/news/how-much-of-n-y-u-superblock-to-landmark-is-issue/ . September 28, 2024 . September 26, 2024 . amNewYork .
  13. Web site: Shirey . David L. . November 24, 1970 . Dubuffet Is Doing 40-Foot Sculpture for Chase Plaza . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180808172356/https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/24/archives/dubuffet-is-doing-40foot-sculpture-for-chase-plaza.html . August 8, 2018 . September 23, 2024 . The New York Times . 0362-4331.
  14. Web site: November 17, 1967 . A Picasso Will Rise 36 Feet Above Bleecker St. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240923204310/https://www.nytimes.com/1967/11/17/archives/a-picasso-will-rise-36-feet-above-bleecker-st.html . September 23, 2024 . September 23, 2024 . The New York Times . 0362-4331.
  15. Web site: November 24, 1967 . Monuments: Sylvette at N.Y.U. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240923183148/https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,844169,00.html . September 23, 2024 . September 23, 2024 . TIME.com.
  16. Web site: Chan . Sewell . November 18, 2008 . Pei's University Village Tops List of 7 Landmarks . September 19, 2024 . City Room . September 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240918050219/https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/university-village-tops-list-of-7-landmarks/ . live .
  17. Web site: Brown . Eliot . November 18, 2008 . Pei-Designed Silver Towers Win Landmark Status . September 26, 2024 . Observer . December 2, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231202055458/https://observer.com/2008/11/peidesigned-silver-towers-win-landmark-status/ . live.
  18. Web site: Amateau . Albert . November 18, 2008 . All of Silver Towers complex is golden in the view of Landmarks . September 26, 2024 . amNewYork . September 28, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240928014904/https://www.amny.com/news/all-of-silver-towers-complex-is-golden-in-the-view-of-landmarks/ . live .
  19. Web site: Chan . Sewell . February 11, 2008 . I. M. Pei's Silver Towers Could Become a Landmark . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240922212149/https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/i-m-peis-silver-towers-could-become-a-landmark/ . September 22, 2024 . September 22, 2024 . City Room.
  20. Web site: Bust of Sylvette . cultureNOW . cultureNOW . November 26, 2024.

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