Italian Artist's Mosaic Tile Pieces On Display At Pennsylvania Convention Center
By Steve Tawa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Four large and original mosaic pieces have been resurrected from the dust bin, and now greet visitors in the Broad Street atrium of the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
Bogdan Grom recalls as a starving artist in 1964, he happened into the iconic Architects Building, at 17th and Sansom Streets.
"I was really looking for contacts with architects. I was looking for a job."
The four mosaics - City Hall, Logan Circle, Ben Franklin Bridge and Elfreth's Alley - became his first commissions here - and were displayed in the elevators.
Born in Trieste, Italy, his body of work includes a wide range of media - including painting, sculpture, book illustration, tapestries, architectural installations and stained glass.
The mosaics, made of Italian glass, came down when the building was transformed into a hotel. Now, the Hotel Palomar has donated them to the Convention Center.
Grom, who is approaching his 95th birthday this summer, is delighted to see their re-use.:
"After so many decades of looking at this work, I say I really did my best."
