Sculpture Superlatives
Since opening in 2009, the $40 million John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park has brought international attention to Iowa’s capital city — and it’s easy to understand why. The park, owned by the Des Moines Art Center, showcases a world-class collection of 27 works by such acclaimed artists as Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Serra and Willem de Kooning.
Most Likely to Appear on Dancing With the Stars
© CAMERON CAMPBELL
Most Likely to Appear on Dancing With the Stars
UNTITLED (THREE DANCING FIGURES, VERSION C)
BY KEITH HARING (American, 1958-1990)
Inspired by New York’s disco-and break-dancing scene, Haring created this trio of dancing stick figures. The brightly painted aluminum piece has an exuberant tone and features the pop artist’s signature graffiti-like style.
Most Likely to Let People Walk All Over Them
SEATING FOR EIGHT AND CAFÉ TABLE 1
BY SCOTT BURTON (American, 1939-1989)
Don’t touch the art? Not here. Burton made these sleek, polished granite chairs and table to be used. So pack a picnic, have a seat and enjoy the view.
Class Clown
THINKER ON A ROCK
BY BARRY FLANAGAN (British, 1941-2009)
Who says great art has to be serious? With this humorous bronze-cast piece, Flanagan plays off Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture, The Thinker, replacing the brooding male figure with a skinny, quirkylooking hare.
Most Likely to Be Prom King
WHITE GHOST
BY YOSHITOMO NARA (Japanese, born 1959)
This 12-foot-tall ghostly looking — yet far from spooky — fiberglass-and-steel figure was installed in April. Nara, a Japanese pop artist famous for his figurative works, most recently displayed the glossy sculpture on Park Avenue in New York.
Newest Kid on Campus
T8
BY MARK DI SUVERO (American, born 1933 in China) At more than 28 feet tall and weighing some 7 tons, this red-orange painted steel sculpture is something you don’t want to mess with. It anchors the southwest end of the park, and metal beams shoot off in different directions, giving the heavy material a feeling of energy and movement.
Campus Bully
NOMADE
BY JAUME PLENSA (Spanish, born 1955)
It didn’t take long for this interactive, three-story, stainless-steel sculpture of a person sitting with knees drawn to become the city's unofficial symbol. Stroll inside and try to find a word or decipher a code among its randomly arranged, lace-like white letters.
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