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Shaffer, O. V.,
Figure group
Figure male -- Elderly
Animal -- Bird
Outdoor Sculpture -- Wisconsin -- Madison
Sculpture
Hieroglyph, (sculpture).
Artist:
Shaffer, O. V., 1928-2021, sculptor.
Title:
Hieroglyph, (sculpture).
Dates:
Commissioned June 1964. 1965. Dedicated June 21, 1965.
Digital Reference:
Medium:
Sculpture: hammered copper; Base: concrete and stone.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. 12 ft. x 66 in. x 55 in.; Base: approx. 13 x 57 x 51 in.
Inscription:
(On lower back of sculpture:) Shaffer/1965 signed
Description:
Abstract monolithic forms grouped together to form "walls" that create recesses and niches in which two human figures and an owl are placed. On one side, a female figure emerges from a larger abstract form. On the opposite side, an elderly bearded male sits further back in the recess. An owl stands with its wings unfolded in the niche below the elderly man. Undecipherable hieroglyphs cover all sides of the walls of the sculpture.
Subject:
Figure group
Figure male -- Elderly
Animal -- Bird -- Owl
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture -- Wisconsin -- Madison
Sculpture
Owner:
Madison Public Library, 201 West Mifflin Street, Courtyard, Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Remarks:
The sculpture cost $7,500 and was a gift from the Oscar Mayer Foundation. It was commissioned in June 1964; and installed at the new library in 1965. Its abstract nature sparked controversy, with articles appearing in the Wisconsin State Journal shortly after the June commission.
IAS files contain copy of Frances Hurst's "A Common Joy," 1991, pg. 34-35; and Janet S. Ela, "Free and Public, One Hundred Years with Madison Public Library," May 1975, pg. 97-98. IAS files also contain text of a speech given to Madison Women's Club, Art Section, Feb. 23, 1966.
Nearby plaque reads: Hieroglyph/Sculpture by O.V. Shaffer/The Inscribed Surfaces And/Fragments Symbolize The/Recorded Thoughts of Man/Through Time, Challenging/Each Generation Anew For/Interpretation And Meaning.
References:
Save Outdoor Sculpture, Wisconsin survey, 1993.
Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.
Illustration:
Image on file.
Note:
The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.
Repository:
Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Control Number:
IAS 76009276
Copy/Holding information
Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum
Control Number
Inventory of American Sculpture
76009276
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