Chicago has a stunning range of public art and sculptures across the city in all different shapes, sizes, and styles ranging from Millennium Park’s world-famous “Cloud Gate” by Anish Kapoor (aka the Bean) to Olafur Eliasson’s “Atmospheric wave wall” that was unveiled at the foot of Willis Tower (aka Sears Tower) in 2021.
Many of these captivating creations, such as The Picasso and Miró’s Chicago, were first met with controversy, scrutiny, or skepticism of varying degrees but, for the most part, we have come to love and cherish the city’s most peculiar pieces of public art however strange they may be.
One such sculpture, that many will not remember a time without, is Jean Dubuffet’s “Monument with Standing Beast” (aka Snoopy in a Blender) which has stood outside the Thompson Center at 100 W. Randolph St. for nearly 40 years.
With the Thompson Center now undergoing a $280 million redevelopment after Google bought the Helmut Jahn-designed building, many of its recognizable features will begin giving way for a new look. Unfortunately, that includes the iconic black and white sculpture which will be removed at the end of this month.
The sculpture, owned by the Illinois State Museum, will find a new home outside the Art Institute of Chicago at some point in the near future and will be kept in a state facility until then.
Unveiled in 1984, “Monument with Standing Beast” is reportedly just under 30 feet high and weighs over 10 tons. According to a dedicated page at Chicago.gov, the monument “is comprised of four elements that suggest a standing animal, a tree, a portal and an architectural form. The configuration invites viewers to enter the sculpture and echoes the dramatically open plan of the James R. Thompson Center.”
Dubuffet described the sculpture as a “drawing which extends…into space” and hoped it would resonate with the average person on the street, it explains.
[Featured image from Shutterstock]