When mayor Richard J. Daley unveiled the sculpture popularly known as the Chicago Picasso, protesters at the dedication ceremony carried signs calling the 50-foot- tall steel construction a “colossal boo-boo.” Over 50 years later, has this once polarizing sculpture mellowed with age? Is it even worth looking closely at Picasso’s art anymore?

After studying the Chicago Picasso through its history as a civic project and its art history as part of Picasso’s body of work, we will consider how the sculpture and artist were understood in the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks and Gertrude Stein. With a further foray into how the sculpture has been cast in movies (“Bueller? Bueller?” anyone?), we will develop research projects to help us articulate our responses to this established landmark.
Five Sessions: $245/$220. Led by Carl Schmitz