New Orleans Museum of Art Sculpture Garden

On Friday, the 12th, my friend Mary and I roamed around the beautiful Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Museum of Art.  This garden is next to the Museum and next to City Park in Central New Orleans.  It is open every day and free.  We enjoyed the beautiful picture perfect day and the meandering footpaths around a lagoon lined with Spanish Moss decorated trees.  Over sixty sculptures greet the visitors from small children to Seniors like us.  Most of the sculptures were donated by the Besthoff from their personal collection.

The "Virlane Tower," 1981 commands the lagoon made of stainless steel by Kenneth Snelson, American born 1927.

"Large Seated Cardinal," 1983, bronze, by Giacomo Manzu, Italian 1908-1991

"The Future Generation," 1942-47 by William Zorach, Lithuanian-born American, 1887-1966.

"Three Figures and Four Benches," painted bronze, 1979, by George Segal, American, 1924-2000.
My friend Mary is visiting two of the figures.

"Monkeys," 1998-2001, stainless steel, by Rona Pondick, American born 1952

"Overflow," 2005, stainless steel, by Jaume Piensa, Spanish born 1955

Untitled, 1997, stainless steel, by Anish Kapoor, British, born in Bombay, India, 1954

"Two Sitting Figures," 1979-80, bronze, by Lynn Chadwick, British, 1914-2003

"Karma," 2011, brushed stainless steel, by Do-Ho Suh, Korean, born 1962

"Traveling Light," 1999, bronze, by Alison Saar, American, born 1936
The title is taken from a popular Billy Holiday song.  The sculpture was created by noted African American artist to commemorate the suffering of Black Americans over the centuries.  The man is formally dressed but hanging a tortuous position while remaining resolute and maintaining his dignity.  The artist has made the sculpture into a bell.  When one pulls a chain in the back, a deep mournful sound is heard.

"Pablo Casals' Obliques," 1983 bronze by Armand Fernandez, French, born 1928

"Diana, The Huntress," 1886 gilded bronze, by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, American, 1848-1907

"Mother and Child," 1988 bronze by Fernando Bolero, Colombian, born 1923
(note the Mother with the child are standing on top of the man...who is in charge here?)