Ugo Rondinone Installs Lightning Sculptures at Harvard's Allstonway in Boston
The Facts
Ugo Rondinone has installed two bronze sculptures, 'sublime light' and 'blissful light,' at Allstonway, a new community space within Harvard University's Enterprise Research Campus in Boston, developed by Tishman Speyer. The works, painted in bright dayglo yellow, depict lightning strikes as crooked and rhythmic lines, transforming the ephemeral natural phenomenon into permanent, static forms. The sculptures are set within the public landscape, creating a dialogue between the built environment and nature. Rondinone's practice often employs natural forms, and these works reference German Romanticism and Caspar David Friedrich, exploring themes of the sublime and the connection between the earthly and the divine.
The Signal
The installation signals Rondinone's continued engagement with public art and monumental sculpture, following his iconic 'rainbow' installations and 'sun' and 'moon' works. For collectors and curators, the piece reinforces the artist's market strength in large-scale outdoor works, which have been acquired by major institutions and private collections. The choice of Harvard's new campus development as a site underscores a growing trend of universities integrating significant contemporary art into their public spaces, enhancing both the cultural and real estate value of such projects.
- Artists: Ugo Rondinone
- Galleries: Gladstone Gallery
- Locations: Boston
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