Chicago Picasso

A garden appeared on the Picasso sculpture at the end of winter

Possibly our last accumulating snow of the season, Chicago was freshly covered in a light blanket of snow. Wonderful white canvases became available once again across the city. This morning I made sure to walk above ground to enjoy the snow. Many Chicagoans avoid the snow by walking in the underground Pedway that goes directly …

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Chicago Picasso in the snow

Wipeout on the Picasso

Last year I was able to walk on the base of the Picasso sculpture in the snow. Only at the end did I slip a little. (Blog post, video) This morning a fresh blanket of snow covered Chicago, including the iconic statue by Pablo Picasso. I walked up to the Picasso to admire the beauty …

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Estonia exhibit in Chicago Daley Plaza: June 2-5, 2019

Two of my favorite things have crossed roads. The Chicago Picasso and Estonia. While walking to work on a Monday morning, a giant photo Arvo Pärt (the Estonian composer) greeted me right by the Chicago Picasso. Wow! What is this?! It’s an exhibit about Estonia—right in the heart of Chicago! A wonderful public exhibit you …

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Picasso drips

Picasso drips

Drip lines are drawn down the base of the Picasso sculpture. As the snow melts, remnant salt lines are left behind. These vertical lines look like a drawing. Whose drawing? Perhaps Paul Klee? Is Paul Klee drawing on a Picasso? Here’s a few Paul Klee works that look a bit like this photo. So yeah, …

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Snowflakes on Chicago Picasso, screenshot of video

Video: Snowflakes gently landing on the Picasso in Chicago

Happy little snowflakes softly land on the cold hard metal of the Picasso sculpture. Such a beautiful scene: the contrast of the white snowflake against the dark, aged corten steel. I find this two-minute, 46-second video very calming. Nothing “happens” in this video. Just snowflakes falling down. Landing. Sitting. Then all of the sudden scooting. …

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Surfing down the Picasso

Surfing the Chicago Picasso

Every morning I walk by the Chicago Picasso. Not just by it, but I walk right up next to it, so I can run my hand along the base. With all the snow we’ve been getting, it’s been fun seeing how the base changes. From all white covered in snow. To melting snow. To salted …

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Turning around to take the photo

Ever see something cool along your commute, but you don’t stop to take the photo? I bet it happens to thousands of people every day. It almost happened to me today. Along my commute, I pass by the giant Picasso public sculpture in downtown Chicago. This sculpture is such an icon in Chicago, I love …

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sliding down the picasso

The simple joys of public art

Does your city have touristy things that you’ve never done? Chicago has a lot of that. One of the tourist attractions is the 50 foot tall public art sculpture by Picasso. The angled base made of Cor-Ten steel makes for a great slide. Children are always running up the base and sliding down. I never …

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Art Institute of Chicago marketing to children for Picasso show

What do you think of the CTA ad for the Picasso show at the Art Institute? My brother, Erik, has some excellent points: Overall, I like it. It captures some of the cubist charm of Picasso’s work. Part of me feels like they could have take this 1, 2, 3, 10 levels deeper and really …

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