Favourite public art opinions
Spacing is soliciting opinions on favourite pieces of public art; if you want ideas, Zeke sometimes does features on art or artists in public places and the city has an official art section on its website – although why it insists on having such tiny, non-enlargeable photos I do not know.
I’d be hesitant to name a single favourite, although Jocelyne Alloucherie’s Porte de jour sits well in its space, and has the important virtue, for a large public piece, of changing aspect interestingly as you move around it (you can also see it from above, on the Notre-Dame viaduct, as I did here):
I initially loved Michel de Broin’s Révolutions in the square behind Papineau metro, and while I still find it clever, I think I prefer more massive and monumental works for public spaces, like Ju Ming’s Taichi Single Whip (which will always look like a hockey goalie to me).
Of course Man is spectacular, one of the city’s real treasures. Also Riopelle’s La Joute has things going for it, especially in action:
But I think the fact it relies on effects, and that it’s in a number of pieces, tells against it.
They’re not asking for a least favourite piece, but I have to admit that the The Illuminated Crowd on McGill College has never had any charm for me. But the number of photos I see of the thing suggest many people feel otherwise.
Zeke 19:14 on 2011/10/21 Permalink
Howdy!
The Maurice Richard statue in front of the Maurice Richard arena. And the only reason the Raymond Mason sculpture is popular is due to its location.
Kate 20:24 on 2011/10/21 Permalink
Yes, the Richard statue is very good. I remember how it was heaped with flowers when he died.
Shawn 22:13 on 2011/10/21 Permalink
wow, that dalhousie square thing (which i didn’t even know existed — the square or the art) looks great. i’m impressed.
Kate 06:25 on 2011/10/22 Permalink
Dalhousie Square stopped existing years ago – there was a huge fire – but was revived as a place name and rebuilt in 2003. It was a big railway depot in its day – Viger station was built just north of it. The ghost tracks in the pavement are meant to evoke this, but they also make me think we may rue the day we tore up all those tracks and replaced them with memorials.
Unfortunately, like the whole new sector east of Old Montreal, it isn’t very interesting because they only built condos – there are no shops or cafés around the square, which I think was a mistake. But that one massive piece of sculpture is worth looking at.