Icosaspirale

1 Maritime Plaza

Icosaspirale by Charles Perry – 1967 – 8 feet – Brass

 This sculpture is constructed of bronze rods brazed together into triangular sections. Those sections were assembled into an Icosahedron shape. Note that each triangle that makes up the Icosahedron is itself a spiral. Hense the name “Icosaspirale

Charles O. Perry (1929-2011) was born in Montana. After graduating from Yale, Perry practiced architecture in San Francisco, California with the firm of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, from 1958- 1963. During his architectural career he had developed many sculptural models and was offered a one-man sculpture show in San Francisco. At the same time, he won the Rome Prize, a prestigious award granted by the American Academy in Rome for two years study in Italy. Prior to leaving for Rome in 1964, he had secured two major sculpture commissions. “The basic difference in the discipline of architecture and sculpture is that one can’t force a solution in sculpture, whereas in architecture, one can arrive at an apparent ‘rational’ solution through continual work.” For Perry, the appropriateness of the form is the criteria for the final goal.

 As an industrial designer, Charles Perry invented and patented three unique prize winning chairs. He designed other objects of art such as a collection of jewelry and silver for Tiffany, chess sets, and puzzles.

This piece was commissioned by the Golden Gateway Building Company and dedicated to the City of San Francisco, it is part of the Golden Gateway Center Collection of Fine Art.