Evanston aldermen tonight are scheduled to vote on accepting the donation of two large paintings that until recently hung in the lobby of a downtown Chicago office building.
City staff say the plan is to hang one of the works by English artist Keith Tyson on the west wall of the Maple Avenue garage, where it will be visible to Metra commuters and people attending the downtown farmers market.
That one is called called “Up Down East West (Wacker Lobby Molecule).” They haven’t figured out where to put the other one, called “Up Down East West (South Franklin Molecule).” So for the moment at least, it will remain in storage.
The paintings, done in acrylic on aluminum panels, are each 40 feet tall by 10 feet wide and are each appraised as having have an estimated value of $375,000.
They were originally commissioned in 2007 by Penny Pritzker and were displayed in the Hyatt Building at 71 South Wacker for the past 10 years.
The Irvine Company, which owns the building removed them for a lobby renovation project this year and is offering to donate them to the city.
No estimate yet on what it will cost to install the artwork on the garage. The Irvine Company is paying the storage costs for both pieces.
If nobody wants them
Why should Evanston take them?
Of course we will get them
They hung the keyword ‘art’ on them so of course the Council will decided to buy them and pay the cost to hang them.
The Council and ‘artsy’ people remind me of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” But taxpayers keep paying for their version of being ‘blind’ to reality.