Models of Waterfront Sculptures Unveiled

Models of a massive pair of Ellsworth Kelley sculptures that are envisioned by the port commission’s arts chairman as an “aesthetic logo” for the spirit of San Diego were unveiled Tuesday at the meeting of the San Diego Unified Port District commissioners.

Kelley, the renowned artist whose pieces already grace public land in Dallas, Chicago and New York, designed the pair of sculptures for the Embarcadero Park area near the proposed convention center at Navy Field.

One structure would be a 70-foot monolith of pure stainless steel; its companion would be a 32-foot concrete isosceles triangle. Preliminary cost estimates range from $400,000 to $500,000.

Although the stainless steel piece would be similar to a Kelley creation in Chicago, it would be the largest sculpture ever created by the artist, said Gerald P. Hirshberg, chairman of the Port Commission Arts Advisory Board.

The arts advisory committee will hold a public hearing to receive comment on the sculptures. Hirshberg, an unabashed supporter of Kelley’s proposed work, said he hoped the port commission would vote to commission the sculptures within a month.

Kelley, whom Hirshberg called “one of the world’s greatest artists, who will take his place alongside Picasso and others of that ilk,” will appear before the port commission before its final vote. The commissioners did not discuss his proposal Tuesday, nor was there public testimony.

Hirshberg described Kelley as a “minimalist, known for his simple, soaring, grand gestures. Great art has an enigma surrounding it, as this proposal does. It does not dot the i’s or cross the t’s.

“There is no hidden message in this work,” Hirshberg said. “It should be viewed for the pure joy of its form.”

Last year, there were some complaints when Kelley, rather than a local artist, was invited by the arts advisory board to submit a proposed sculpture for the Embarcadero.

“He’s the right artist for the right time,” Hirshberg said of Kelley Tuesday. “I wasn’t concerned about where the artist lived. I just wanted the finest one we could find who could give us a vision to symbolize the explosion of energy in San Diego today.”