Geometric Mouse X - Houston Public Library - Houston, Texas
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 29° 45.588 W 095° 22.202
15R E 270834 N 3294523
This odd shaped sculpture sits on the corner at the Julia Ideson Library in downtown Houston, Texas.
Waymark Code: WM3E99
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/22/2008
Views: 43
Per the City Of Houston's "Municipal Art" webpage: (
visit link)
"Geometric Mouse X is an abstract, geometric representation of a mouse that is composed of ¾ inch thick Cor-Ten steel that is welded and bolted together. After restoration, the sculpture was painted with bright OSHA red.
Geometric Mouse X was part of a series of five geometric mice in different sizes and colors. The Houston Geometric Mouse (scale X) is unique because it is the largest of the group with a fixed unitary form. Only the two teardrop chains, attached to the eyelid-windows, are moveable. Fabricated at Lippincott, the planer shapes, simple rectangular openings and even-textures surfaces recall the minimalist aesthetic of the 1960's. The piece was installed in 1975.
The construction consists of two large circular discs (ears) attached to a large square (face), which has two rectangular pieces cut out to represent eyes, and a curved. There are two smaller discs attached by chain. The mouse is attached at three points with 7/8” stainless steel bolts and 1 3/8” stainless steel nuts. The two outer attachment points have one bolt each and the middle attachment (square) has three bolts.
[The artist is] Claes Oldenburg, born in Stockholm in 1929. Oldenburg, a trained artist, was actively involved in the Pop Art Movement in the 1960's. He created and was involved in a number of Happenings, spontaneous moments of art, during that period."