Happy Birthday to Daley Plaza's Picasso!
CHICAGO (CBS) -- One of Chicago's most famous residents is celebrating its birthday.
The Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza turns 56 Tuesday. The 50-foot-tall local icon was dedicated on Aug. 15, 1967.
For years, people have debated what it is. The artist said it's his Afghan hound, but if you stand in the right spot on Daley Plaza, you can see the profile of a woman.
"It takes a particular profile to actually see a woman, and you need to stand on the northeast corner of the statue and when you look, you'll be able to see that," said Kerl LaJeune, director of planning and design for the Public Building Commission. "But it's part of cubism – the idea of representing through multiple ways different imagery – and you'll be able to see it if you pay attention to it."
The Picasso was one of the first big public artworks in the city. As a bonus, it doesn't need a lot of upkeep.
"The material itself is Cor-Ten steel. It oxidizes on its own. It requires very low maintenance," LaJeune said. "Remember, Picasso gave this as a gift to the city. He did not accept any funds – of which he was offered $100,000 for the sculpture – but did not accept it, because he felt that this was important to give a gift."
Columnist Mike Royko, then with the old Chicago Daily News, was present for the unveiling. In a column published the following day, Royko noted that the ceremony featured poets, politicians, and classical music from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
At the time, Royko was not especially flattering in his description of the new sculpture.
"Some soaring lines, yes. Interesting design, I'm sure," he wrote. "But the fact is, it has a long stupid face and looks like some giant insect that is about to eat a smaller, weaker insect. It has eyes that are pitiless, cold, mean."
Meanwhile, writer and broadcaster Studs Terkel asked bystanders their thoughts about the Picasso following the unveiling. One man told Terkel it looked like "the pelvic structure of some prehistoric monster." But one woman said it looked like a "woman who represents justice for all," particularly given that it was outside a Cook County court building.
In the years since, the Picasso has become an icon of the city. It's also a popular slide for kids visiting downtown, as it has been from the beginning.
The Spanish artist Pablo Picasso himself never actually visited Chicago. But he was commissioned by the architects of the Daley Center to create a sculpture for its plaza to the south, which he worked on for two years. Picasso's maquette – or model – of the sculpture, as well as preliminary sketches, are on display at the Art Institute of Chicago.
