Sun God - San Diego, CA - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

Wikipedia (visit link) informs us:

"Sun God is a statue by French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. The statue is a 14-foot multicolored bird-like creature, perched atop a 15-foot-tall horseshoe-shaped rock pedestal.

Erected in February 1983 as a part of the Stuart Collection of public art projects, the fiberglass Sun God has become a unique feature on the UCSD campus. It is located on a grassy area between the Faculty Club and Mandeville Auditorium, on the eastern periphery of the John Muir College campus. Since the 1980s the UCSD Associated Students organization has sponsored an annual event, the Sun God Festival, with the statue as its official mascot. Over the years numerous visual-arts students have accessorized the statue with items such as sunglasses, a cap and gown, an ID card, a large, water-spraying phallus, and even a nest with eggs painted in the statue's trademark bright colors.

In the initial days when the statue was available, no college volunteered to use it, Muir College accepted it on its campus."

and the Smithsonian webpage (visit link) tells us:

"Dates: 1983...

Medium: Bird: fiberglass and steel, painted and gilded; Arch: concrete.

Dimensions: Bird: approx. H. 14 ft.; Arch: approx. H. 15 ft.

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Sun God Figure Type: Fantasy creature Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: Niki de Saint Phalle Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: 1983 Materials used: Bird: fiberglass and steel, painted and gilded; Arch: concrete. Location: on the campus of UCSD (University of California San Diego).

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/15/2022 littleblkdog visited it 08/13/2014 DopeyDuck visited it 04/26/2014 NakoTacoPatrol visited it 10/06/2013 Metro2 visited it

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