Dance Columns I and II - Seattle, WA - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

Visitors to a plaza on the corner of 3rd Ave and Spring St will see two inconspicuous bronze sculptures of two nude women, each standing on a tall, bronze column. They appear to be stretching their legs in preparation to dance, hence the title of this piece. Each bronze column contains silhouettes of females in various poses which adorn the columns, with only certain body parts jutting out, such as a head and torso, or a hip and leg, or an arm and breast. These partial female figures make the columns come alive with movement, as if they are dancing around the columns in a fluid-like state.

These sculptures are also included in the Smithsonian Art Inventory catalog here. There is a Starbucks located in the back of the plaza and a small gift shop located in the front corner. I also found out that these sculptures were a privately commissioned piece in 1979.

The artist who created these sculptures was Robert Graham, a very prolific artist who died December 27, 2008. He created many great civic monuments for cities all over the country but his main work was displayed in Southern California, particularly in Venice, CA, where he resided up until his death. He was also married to actress Angelica Huston, a fact that I found interesting. These two nude statues are among his catalog of prior works and can be viewed on his personal website here. There is also a good obituary writeup from the LA Times and can be read about in more detail here.

It is obvious after looking at the portfolio of Robert Graham's works that he was fascinated by the female figure and it shows in these two sculptures in the plaza. The bulk of his work over the decades is of the female nude form. He was in the process of transitioning into utilizing other mediums such as glass and concrete to create the human form when he passed away.

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Dance Columns I and II Figure Type: Human Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Robert Graham Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 1979 Materials used: Bronze Location: Howard Wright Building Plaza (1111 Third Avenue)

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