WEST HOLLYWOOD : Firm’s Sculpture Will Honor People With AIDS

A liquor company is preparing to take over a little bit of West Hollywood.

Heublein, maker of the Jose Cuervo tequila brand and other liquors and beverages, will unveil a 27-foot outdoor sculpture in September commemorating people with AIDS. The work will be located on city-owned property--which will be renamed Cuervo 1800 Unity Monument Plaza--near the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Doheny Drive.

The City Council unanimously approved the sculpture project last year.

Mexican artist Javier Vazquez, 43, who goes by the nickname Jazzamoart, was commissioned to design the as-yet-untitled, steel-and-fiberglass tower.

The Cuervo name will appear on a plaque alongside the piece. The base of the sculpture will be surrounded by ceramic tiles commemorating people who have died of AIDS.

The company will accept donations, ranging from $50 to $1,000, for those wanting to place a tile. The money will go to support AHORA, an organization of Latino artists that supports AIDS-related charities.

To make way for the new piece, city officials last week moved “Uno,” a nine-year-old steel sculpture by Beverly Hills artist Nini Policappelli, to a new perch near Santa Monica and Robertson boulevards.

City officials were not troubled that the new sculpture was sponsored by a corporation, said council aide Fran Solomon.

“There certainly has been a discussion about where [public art] is right now and how communities get art, because there is a lack of funds [for art] in today’s political climate,” Solomon said.

The Cuervo sculpture is scheduled to be unveiled Sept. 16.