The new work of art that will be erected at the main entrance to the Place Ville Marie esplanade next June, called L’Anneau, will be Montreal’s new signature. According to Chantal Rouleau, minister responsible for the Montreal region, it will attract visitors to the city.
• Read also: The $5M ring, is that what was missing in Montreal?
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The newspaper identified 8 architectural works that have become emblems in their respective cities, in the United States.
Cloud Gate
ROBIN ROBINSON / TORONTO SUN
Also called “The Bean”, this structure made by artist Anish Kapoor is located in Millenium Park in Chicago and attracts thousands of visitors each year. The stainless steel sculpture is inspired by liquid mercury and was designed to reflect the skyline of the city.
Gateway Arch
Located in downtown St. Louis, this stainless steel arch is 192 meters tall. It is the largest arch in the world and the tallest man-made monument in the United States. The monument, dedicated to the Conquest of the West, was inaugurated in 1968.
Charging Bull
The “Bull of Wall Street” is a bronze sculpture by Italian artist Arturo Di Modica located in Bowling Green Park, very close to the New York Stock Exchange. The statue was installed there after the stock market crash of 1987 and is intended as a symbol of the “strength and power of the people”.
It is one of the most photographed works in the Big Apple.
Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign, or the Hollywood Letters, is a structure erected on Mount Lee in Los Angeles. The letters, 14 meters high and 9 meters wide, originally read HOLLYWOODLAND. The letters “LAND” were withdrawn in 1949.
The sign was listed as a historical monument in 1973 by the city council of the city.
Big Blue Bear
‘I See What You Mean’, also known as ‘Big Blue Bear’, is a sculpture of a 40-foot blue bear by artist Lawrence Argent. The work, which weighs more than 10,000 pounds, is installed outside the Colorado Convention Center in Denver and cost US$424,400.
Her Secret Is Patience
“Her Secret Is Patience” is a 145-foot-tall three-dimensional aerial sculpture designed by artist Janet Echelman for the City of Phoenix. Located downtown in Civic Space Park, the $2.5 million artwork is made of painted galvanized steel, polyester and colored lights.
Metalmorphosis
“Metalmorphosis” is a kinetic sculpture of a seven meter tall human head that weighs 13 tons located at the Whitehall Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Made by Czech artist David Černý and inaugurated in 2007, the polished stainless steel work is composed of 40 layers articulated in 7 sections that can rotate on itself and is located in a large reflecting pool.
Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas
The Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign was designed by architects Betty Willis and Ted Rigich. Erected in 1959, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009.
- Listen to Benoit Dutrizac’s interview with Claude Cormier, landscape architect and creator of the Ring on QUB radio: