Three famous stainless steel sculptures in the world
A landmark era for stainless steel was the 1970s. After the 1970s, artists began to use stainless steel as a medium in their works, and sculptors around the world began to use stainless steel to create iconic artworks.
- Balloon Dog
“Balloon Dog” (English: Balloon Dog) is one of the series of works by American modernist artist Jeff Koons. He produced five series of works from 1994 to 2000 (blue, magenta, orange, yellow ,red).
In April 2008, a yellow balloon dog was displayed on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, owned by hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen, and a magenta balloon dog was displayed at the Palace of Versailles in Paris. . In November 2013, an orange balloon dog was sold at Rockefeller Center for US$58.4 million, setting the record for the highest price for a work by a living artist at the time. - Cloud Gate Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate (also commonly known as “the Bean” because of its shape) is a public art sculpture designed by British artist Anish Kapoor. It is located in the Loop District of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was built from June 2004 to May 2006 in AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. This work is 20 meters long, 13 meters wide and 10 meters high. The highest point of the arch is about 4 meters above the ground and weighs 100 tons. Although Cloud Gate is made of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its surface is very smooth. Visitors can see the reflected and distorted city outline on it, but no seams can be observed at all. In addition, the base of the statue is a concave space that distorts and overlaps the image, called “omphalos” (Greek for “center”).
Kapoor said Cloud Gate was inspired by liquid mercury. The work was selected in a design competition, but many technical problems with its construction, assembly and maintenance arose, and some even considered it impossible to build at all. Although a solution was finally provided after expert consultation, the statue was not completed within the expected time, and was therefore displayed to the public in an unfinished form at the opening ceremony of Millennium Park in 2004. Today, the completed work is used both in the United States and abroad. It has a very high reputation internationally.
- Gateway Arch
The Gateway Arch is a 630-foot-tall (192 m) monument located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Constructed of stainless steel and built as a load-bearing catenary arch, it is the tallest arch in the world and the tallest accessible building in Missouri. Some sources consider it the tallest man-made monument in the Western Hemisphere. Built as a monument to America’s westward expansion and officially dedicated to “the people of the United States,” the Arch is often called the “Gateway to the West.” It is a National Historic Landmark within Gateway Arch National Park and has become the internationally recognized St. Louis signs, and popular tourist destinations.
The arch was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in 1947; construction began on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965, at a total cost of $13 million (equivalent to $86.5 million in 2018 dollars). The monument was opened to the public on June 10, 1967. The founding site of St. Louis on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
With the continuous development of society, art is also constantly improving.
Sculpture art has evolved from natural materials at the beginning to bronze sculptures, ceramic sculptures, etc. Every innovation in materials has provided a good foundation for the development of sculpture art. The emergence of modern stainless steel materials, relying on its inherent unique advantages, has made stainless steel sculptures an iconic sculpture landscape in squares, campuses, living quarters, corporate units, parks and other places.
Maoping Sculpture undertook the Wuxi Grand Theater subway entrance project. After eight months of meticulous work, it appeared in front of people with a new look. This bright silver landscape building combines the natural landscape elements of the water of Li Lake and the stone carvings of Taihu Lake. It not only meets the functionality but also has great visual beauty, and is consistent with Wuxi, a prosperous city in southern Jiangsu.
