Capitalism (sculpture)

Capitalism
The sculpture in 2006
Map
ArtistLarry Kirkland
Year1991 (1991)
Type
  • Fountain
  • sculpture
Medium
  • Concrete
  • marble
Dimensions4.9 m (16 ft)
Condition"Treatment needed" (1993)
LocationPortland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates45°31′54″N 122°39′22″W / 45.53177°N 122.65611°W / 45.53177; -122.65611

Capitalism is a 1991 outdoor marble and concrete sculpture and fountain by Larry Kirkland, located in northeast Portland, Oregon, United States.

Description

Larry Kirkland's Capitalism (1991) is an outdoor marble and concrete sculpture and fountain installed at the corner of Northeast 9th Avenue and Northeast Multnomah Street by the Lloyd Center.[1] It was chosen in a regional art competition during Lloyd Center's renovation.[2] The sculpture depicts fifty coins stacked on an Ionic column and is set in the center of a circular fountain basin with four water jets. Half of the coins have serious or humorous inscriptions on their edges relating to capitalism and commerce.[1][2]

The allegorical sculpture measures 16 feet (4.9 m) tall and the basin's diameter is approximately 20 feet (6.1 m). It was surveyed and considered "treatment needed" by the Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in July 1993.[1] It has been included in published walking tours and public art guides,[2][3] one of which called the sculpture "an appropriate reminder of the relationship of money to a marketplace".[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Capitalism, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Cook, Sybilla Avery (2013) [1998]. Walking Portland, Oregon (2nd ed.). Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides. pp. 210–212. ISBN 978-0-7627-9411-9.
  3. ^ Gottberg, John; Lopeman, Elizabeth, eds. (2010). Best Places: Portland (8th ed.). New York: Sasquatch Books. p. 422. ISBN 978-1-57061-699-0. Archived from the original on 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2015-04-14.