The Saint Louis Art Museum announces the commission of Stone Sea by world-renowned British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. The sculpture will be located in a new courtyard that joins the Museum’s Cass Gilbert-designed Beaux Arts Main Building and the new East Building designed by renowned British architect Sir David Chipperfield set to open on June 29-30, 2013.
In developing this major installation for the Museum, the artist drew inspiration from St. Louis geology and, particularly, the city’s underlying base of limestone. Aware that limestone formed in prehistoric times when the Midwest was covered by seawater, Goldsworthy is installing arches to produce a sense of fluidity reminiscent of the sea.
“The scope and complexity of the work reflects Goldsworthy’s long career as a sculptor making ephemeral and permanent work with material drawn from nature,” said Museum Director Brent Benjamin. “Stone Sea looks to the past, present, and future to celebrate the expansion of the Museum.”
Throughout the fall of 2012, Goldsworthy will be on site at the Museum to install the sculptural work of 24 arches, constructed of roughly cut Missouri limestone. The artist has chosen to fabricate the 10-foot high arches using stone from the local Earthworks Quarry in Perryville, Missouri.
For more information on the Museum expansion, visit slam.org