George Rickey and his Kinetic Sculptures

 Posted by on October 23, 2012
Oct 232012
 

Sydney Walton Park

Two Open Rectangles
Eccentric Variation IV
Triangle Section
by George Rickey 1977

 George Rickey has several kinetic sculptures around San Francisco.

Rickey (1907-2002) was one of two major 20th-century artists to make movement a central interest in sculpture. Alexander Calder, whose mobiles Mr. Rickey encountered in the 1930’s, was the other. After starting out as a painter, Mr. Rickey began to produce sculptures with moving parts in the early 50’s, but it was not until a decade later that he achieved the kind of simplicity and scale that would make him an important figure in contemporary art. At that point, he began to produce tall stainless-steel sculptures with long, spearlike arms attached to central posts. Rotating on precision bearings devised by the artist, the arms were balanced so that slight breezes would cause them to sweep like giant scissor blades, tracing graceful arcs or circles against the sky. (From his NY Times Obituary)

The Embarcadero – Sidney Walton Park

 Posted by on July 6, 2011
Jul 062011
 

Sydney Grant Walton, for whom the park is named, was a San Francisco banker who lived from 1901 to 1960. Reportedly he was a multitalented business- man, cultural leader and vice-chairman of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. As the plaque outside the park states, he was “vital in the formation of the concept and development of the Golden Gateway.”

The above sculpture is my favorite in the park.  It has always appealed to me on many levels. In 1962, Perini-Alcoa (joint developers) held a sculpture competition to locate a fountain which would complement the Peter Walker designed park. They chose “Four Seasons.”  Created by frenchman, Francois Stahly, “Four Seasons” is a cast bronze and stone sculpture created in an Italian foundry then shipped to San Francisco where it was installed in this spot. The fountain, with four cast- bronze vertical water features representing the four seasons of the year, was designed so that water would cascade over the bronze spires onto a labyrinth of stones at the base.

Big Heart on The Rock
Jim Dine 1974
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1935 and studied at the Boston Museum School. Later he moved to New York.  He is known for his heart sculptures.
“Pine Tree Obelisk” Joan Brown, 1987
error: Content is protected !!