Among the well-maintained boutiques, homes and manicured lawns, there are 60 works of art sprinkled around the city brought in from the Fine Arts Commission’s public art fund. This commission is made up of eleven enthusiastic art lovers and serious collectors who are BH residents dedicated to bringing interesting and diverse art pieces from around the world into the city for the public to enjoy.
In the Beverly Garden Park, located on S. Santa Monica Blvd and Beverly Drive, there are 8 amazing pieces in one block definitely worth a visit. Among these art pieces is an exceptional treasure. It is the sculpture entitled, Untitled (part of the Endless V series), by world-famous Catalan Spanish artist Jaume Plensa installed in 2012. As you can see from the picture, it is a stainless steel sculpture of a seated human made up of a lattice of letters and characters of eight different languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Spanish, etc… similar to the demographics of Beverly Hills. My interpretation: Mankind is made up of many different cultures and languages, yet we are made with the same material reminding ourselves to love, understand and appreciate each other.
To fully realize what a great treasure this sculpture is, you must know the work of the artist Jaume Plensa who has been at the center of the contemporary art world for a long time as an artist, instructor, and guest speaker. He has created various outdoor commissions and projects in public places in several locations throughout the world. All of his sculptural masterpieces undergo various phases of design and development using a variety of materials such as bronze, copper, and iron. He began his sculpture series of cast iron in 1986 with relief and light written text incorporated in each piece. Lately, the melting of materials he uses are glass, synthetic resin, alabaster, light and plastic, sound and video. Visit him online, you are sure to be impressed.
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The funds used to purchase public art come from the Public Art Ordinance (Municipal Code 3-1-801). When any commercial, industrial, or mixed use building undergoes major construction in the City of Beverly Hills, they are obliged to contribute 1-1.5% of the construction cost into the public art fund. The Public Art commission meets regularly to carefully select pieces to add to the City’s wish list. They have done an outstanding job, and I applaud them for bringing their love of art into the public.
Location and more info on Endless V.
For a City of Beverly Hills Public Art Walking Tour of all 60 pieces.
Visit artist, Jaume Plensa online.
(Sue Helmy has plenty of tricks up her sleeve. She is currently providing superb concierge duties at the Building and Safety Division of the City of Beverly Hills. She is active in countless church and civic organizations and spends every minute she can spare dancing to the zumba beat.)
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 15
Pub: Feb 20, 2015
