Palo Alto unveils new sculpture by 'Lord of the Rings' artist

The next time you walk by City Hall on Hamilton Avenue in downtown Palo Alto, you may notice that the iconic “Aurora” tree sculpture is gone and a new public art installation made of large metal rings has taken its place. This new sculpture is called Rondo I, and its the work of renowned metal artist Bruce Beasley, who is affectionately known as the “Lord of the Rings,” due to the series of large ring sculptures he created for his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley.

Beasley in his studio creating the ‘Rondo’ series. Photo credit: Bruce Beasley

A ‘rock star’ in the art world

Beasley’s considered a ‘rock star’ in the art world, with over 200 shows internationally and a long list of public art commissions, including a large metal sculpture he created for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Now in his 70s, Beasley is still a very active artist whose work continues to be in demand around the world. In a 2013 interview with the Cal Daily News, Beasley revealed how he maintains his creative energy, saying, “What drives me is keeping myself engaged challenged and learning new things. Boredom is the ultimate enemy. As a result, life is as exciting to me at 74 as it was at 19, because you never run out of things to explore and discover. There’s no less creativity now than when I was younger….There are endless questions to ask — that’s part of the exciting thing about life.”

Sculpture created by Bruce Beasley for the 2008 Bejing Olympics

Official unveiling October 29th

Rondo I will be on display at King Plaza in front of Palo Alto City Hall until September 2016. The opening ceremony for Rondo I will take place from 5:30-6:30pm on October 29th and the public is invited to the celebration, which will include chamber music and light refreshments. For more information, visit the City of Palo Alto Public Art website at hwww.cityofpaloalto.org/gov/depts/csd/public_art/default.asp, or nadya.chuprina@cityofpaloalto.org.

“Bruce Beasley: “Art is at the very essence of our species. It touched something deeply important to us that is difficult, if not impossible, to identify perfectly, but it is an activity mankind has been participating in since the beginning.”

Public art enriches life in Palo Alto

We love exploring the public art all around us, and our strong public art program is one of the many things that make Palo Alto such a cool place to live. As to why public art matters, we think Bruce Beasley said it best: “Art is at the very essence of our species. It touched something deeply important to us that is difficult, if not impossible, to identify perfectly, but it is an activity mankind has been participating in since the beginning.”