Art at NorthPark Center

Mark di Suvero, Ad Astra, painted steel, 2005

NorthPark Center opened in Dallas in 1965.  I moved to Dallas with my family in 1969.  I was instantly in awe of NorthPark mall the first time my mom drove us into the city from the suburb of Richardson.  All of these years later I am still in awe of NorthPark Center, and since I live just a few freeway exits south I visit the Center all the time!

Barry Flanagan, Large Leaping Hare, gold leaf over bronze, on painted tubular-steel base, 1982

Ad Astra and Large Leaping Hare are my favorite sculptures in the Center.  Flanagan's Hares are so joyous to me.  I love seeing his sculptures at the art fairs when they are available.

Andy Warhol, silk screen prints

The Warhol prints are some of my earliest memories of art in the Center.  I didn't take any visual art classes in school after the middle grades.  The art at the Center was really my only connection to fine art until I was in my twenties.

Antony Gormley, Three Places, lead, fiberglass, and plaster, 1983

These early lead works are some of the first Gormley sculpted in which he used his own body as the model. Gormley's website states "In Three Places the body cases completely enclose the internal form, making it hermetic. The pieces identify three basic body postures - lying, sitting, and standing."  NorthPark Center is a perfect setting for this sculpture.  The Center is hermetically sealed from the external elements, and one can find thousands of items to enclose their own body while lying, sitting, or standing.

Frank Stella, Washington Island Gadwall (Exotic Birds), crayon, enamel and glitter on aluminum, 

1980 - 81

This piece is huge at almost 12 feet by 19 feet and it curves almost 2 feet off of the wall.

It is hung 10 feet off of the floor, if not higher.  Hard to photograph well, but it certainly demands attention in person!

Joel Shapiro, 20 Elements, wood and casein paint, 2005

There are many photos of this sculpture on the web.  This is my usual view of the Shapiro as I make my way through the Center.  The plants are constantly changed throughout the year.

Jim Dine, The Field of the Cloth of Gold, painted bronze, 1987 - 88

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Corridor Pin, Blue, stainless steel and painted aluminum, 1999

The Center completely surrounds a 1.4 acre landscaped garden named CenterPark.  

Jonathan Borofsky, Hammering Men, mechanized painted steel plate and Cor-Ten steel, 1984 - 85

There are five of these giant hammering sculptures in this area of the Center.  I believe there is at least one other non-moving Hammering Man outside on the outer perimeter of the Center.  The mechanical sounds these sculptures make add a counterpoint to the cacophony of human voices that echo through the Center, adding yet another artistic element to the experience.

Anish Kapoor, The World Turned Outside In, polished stainless steel, 2003

collection of Louis Vuitton

NorthPark Center began as the brainchild of real estate developer Raymond Nasher.  When the Center first opened in 1965 it was the largest climate-controlled retail center in the world. Raymond and his wife, Patsy, began collecting art around the same time NorthPark Center was being built.  Nasher later gave the lead gift for the creation of the Nasher Sculpture Center.

A Visit to the Nasher Sculpture Center

Saturday was Target First Saturday at the Nasher Sculpture Center which meant free admission.  The Center opened at 10:00 am, so we headed over hoping to beat the crowd.  The temperature was already headed for triple digit heat, but that didn't stop people from coming out and enjoying the sculpture.

Aaron Curry, Big Pink, 2010

Aaron Curry's Big Pink greets visitors at the entrance to the Center.  This is one of the ten sculptures from the Statuesque exhibition that runs through August 21. Statuesque has been organized by the Public Art Fund's chief curator Nicholas Baume, and was previously on view at the Lower Manhattan City Hall Park before traveling to Dallas.  These works are presented at the Nasher in context with works from the Center's collection, so my pictures and text are presented as a combination of my favorites from both groups of work.

Aaron Curry, Yellow Bird Boy, 2010

Another of the Statuesque sculptures, this one on the rear veranda of the Center overlooking the garden.

George Segal, Rush Hour, 1983, cast 1985 - 86

This Segal is part of the Nasher collection.  Other people seem to enjoy  posing for photos by standing behind or next to the sculpture as if they are part of the scene.  The number of figures in the sculpture somewhat represent the number of people one would find walking the sidewalks in downtown Dallas at rush hour, but Dallasites would never walk this close together unless they knew each other well.  But Segal may have never visited Dallas.

Thomas Houseago, Untitled (Lumpy Figure), 2009

This is one of the Statuesque sculptures.  Untitled seems to be trying to catch up and join the figures in Rush Hour.

Alexander Calder, Three Bollards, 1970

The Nasher's outdoor Calder sculpture seems to be soaking up the cooling shade of the oak trees that create a cathedral ceiling above.

Henry Moore, Working Model for Three Piece No. 3: Vertebrae, 1968

Rusty studying one of the Nasher's Henry Moore sculptures.

Joan Miro, Caress of a Bird (La Caresse d'un oiseau), 1967

This Miro is part of the Nasher collection and it is nestled at the back of the garden under crepe myrtle trees.  The colors on this painted bronze really pop in the shade.

 Pawal Althamer and the Nowolipie Group, Sylvvia, 2010

detail of Sylvvia

Sylvvia is part of the Statuesque exhibit.  I did not notice many people stopping to take in this sculpture.  Perhaps it is too sensual for Dallasites on a hot sultry morning.  But she seems to be relishing reclining in the shade in the damp recently watered grass.  There are little figures in her hair lounging as if at the beach.  Pools of water in her hair create an even more alluring scene of respite.  I wonder if the water evaporated as the air heated up to 106F a few hours later.

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Bronze Crowd, 1990 - 91

Part of the Nasher collection, Abakanowicz's sculptures feel lonely, forlorn, waiting for a revolution. This crowd scene does feel more like Dallas, though, with plenty of breathing space between the figures.  It's hot here, don't touch me.  The Federal Reserve Bank building rises in the middle background a few blocks away.

Richard Serra, My Curves Are Not Mad, 1987

Serra's sculpture sat at the Ross Street entrance of the Dallas Museum of Art next door for years before the Nasher Sculpture Center opened.  I miss seeing it at the DMA and there are still two curved rust lines on the pavement where this used to reside.  But it definitely works here. It feels like it is floating weightlessly on the lawn.

Mark Di Suvero, Eviva Amore, 2001

Part of the Nasher collection, this Di Suvero is like a giant dragonfly come to rest on the garden lawn.  The Nasher is being surrounded by modern sky scrapers.  Eviva Amore almost feels like a toy left behind by one of the steel i-beam and concrete sky scrapers.

Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman (Tete de femme), 1958

In a similar way, this Picasso also feels so at home with the sky scrapers gazing down upon her gravel and concrete composition.

Soon, residents of Museum Tower will be gazing down upon this oasis in the city. If they are not able to actually see the sculptures from their lofty nests, at least they'll see the tree tops.