Virtuoso (sculpture)
{{Short description|Sculpture in Houston, Texas, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox artwork
| title = Virtuoso
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| image_size = 260 px
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| caption = Virtuoso in downtown Houston
| artist = David Adickes
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| year = 1983
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| type = Sculpture
| material = Steel and concrete
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| height_imperial = 36
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| metric_unit = m
| imperial_unit = ft
| weight = 25 tons
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| city = Houston, Texas, United States
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| coordinates = {{Coord|29|45|46.3|N|95|21|54.4|W|type:landmark_region:US-TX|display=inline,title}}
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Virtuoso is a 36-foot-tall, 25-ton outdoor concrete sculptural group by David Adickes. It was installed in 1983 on the outskirts of the Theater District in downtown Houston next to the Lyric Centre building.{{cite book |last1=Little |first1=Carol Morris |title=A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas |date=1996 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=9780292760363 |page=247 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NgEAMI9BjkYC |accessdate=2019-08-30 |language=en}} It was commissioned as a work that "paid homage to music, dance and performing arts".{{cite web |url=https://365thingsinhouston.com/2014/04/07/virtuoso-sculpture-downtown-houston-david-adickes/ |title=Spy the 36-foot concrete cellist Virtuoso in Downtown |date=April 7, 2014 |website=365 Things to Do in Houston |publisher= |access-date=2019-08-30 |quote=}}
Description
Viewed from the intersection of Prairie and Smith Streets, the sculpture is a gigantic cello being played by a virtuoso who is invisible except for his head and hands. Behind the sculpture adjacent to the Lyric Centre, a life-sized trio of abstract musicians including a violinist, bass, and flute player accompany the giant cellist. The work is equipped with an integrated sound system that plays classical music for passing pedestrians.
History
Virtuoso, the artist's favorite work, was his first large-scale sculpture to garner major public exposure.{{cite web |url=https://www.visithoustontexas.com/blog/post/a-live-chat-with-houston-artist-david-adickes/ |title=A Live Chat with Houston Artist David Adickes |date=January 22, 2015 |website=Visit Houston |publisher= |access-date=2019-08-30 |quote=}} It initially was controversial with critics and many residents panning the sculpture; however, with time, it has been embraced as an iconic landmark.
In 2005, the president of the Lyric Centre's property management group ordered the giant cellist's mustache to be painted black without consulting the artist. After Adickes and others in the arts community said it overstepped its bounds in altering the artwork, the property management company provided a bucket truck and paint so that the artist could repaint the mustache white.{{cite web |url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/downtown-Houston-Virtuoso-statue-moving-12275360.php#item-85307-tbla-5 |title=Popular downtown Houston statue making a move |date=October 13, 2017 |website=Houston Chronicle |publisher= |access-date=2019-08-30 |quote=}}
In 2017 using laser scanner data and nondestructive testing, the engineering firm Walter P Moore determined that the sculpture weighed 25 tons.{{cite web |url=https://www.walterpmoore.com/projects/virtuoso-statue-relocation |title=Virtuoso Statue Relocation |date= |website=Walter P Moore |publisher= |access-date=2024-08-19}}
See also
{{Portal|Texas|Visual arts}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.loc.gov/resource/highsm.27979/ Photograph of Virtuoso] by Carol M. Highsmith on the Library of Congress website.
{{Public art in Houston}}
Category:1983 establishments in Texas
Category:Concrete sculptures in Texas
Category:Musical instruments in art