This Week’s Art Moments

I happened to sprinkle in a handful of art dates this week, two sculpture related and one architectural.

Fermi (1975) by Tony Smith at Town Center, Costa Mesa

Fermi is one of many artworks that comprise the Costa Mesa’s Arts District Sculpture Tour. I’ll dedicate a separate post to that. But for now, this covers the most recent sculpture visited.

Named for the Nobel Prize-winning scientist Enrico Fermi, “Fermi” is one of only two known, white carrara marble sculptures that Tony Smith did during his career. The sculpture suggests the complex yet elegant structures found in nature.

Fermi, located on level C of the Town Center building, can be viewed M-F during business hours. I was finally in the area on a weekday with time to spare. There is a parking structure adjacent to the building that charges $2 per 15 minutes. I had enough time to park, get directions from the security guard to take the elevator down to view the sculpture and leave within the parking structure grace period. Alternatively, you can park for free across the very wide street at South Coast Plaza Shopping Center.

Blue-Green (1969) by Peter Alexander at Norton Simon Museum

I like how Blue-Green is placed in “conversation” with Donald Judd’s Untitled boxes (1966). The Norton Simon museum recently changed up the artwork in the Modern Art gallery as the previous artwork, Marcel Duchamp’s “Bottle Rack” where Blue-Green sits, is now on loan to another museum.

Below is a photo of Bottle Rack in relation to Judd’s boxes. For members lucky to drop by often, it’s nice when the museum brings artwork out from storage for a change in experience.