Choose A Sculpture Below To Learn More About It
Ravinia’s sculpture collection was inaugurated in 1976 by a gift from Ravinia Life Trustee Richard Hunt, one of the foremost artists of the 20th century. Hunt created and presented Music for A While, a monumental two-piece Corten steel sculpture, for placement in the meadow northeast of the Dining Pavilion.
Since then, other generous donors have provided gifts of sculpture, resulting in an impressive collection ranging from massive to miniature, in an aesthetically pleasing variety of styles.
As part of Ravinia’s 1995 renovation, a sculpture walk was created to allow for easy passage across the North Lawn while providing a gallery setting for viewing Ravinia’s timeless collection. Made possible by a generous gift from Harriet and Harry H. Bernbaum, the Bernbaum Sculpture Walk showcases artworks from Ravinia’s permanent collection as well as major pieces on loan from prominent Chicago sculptors.
Additional sculptures are located in the Dining Pavilion, the Harza Building, and gardens throughout the park.
Bronze
Shaw, a native Chicagoan, originally lived in Hyde Park and later moved to a 50-acre arts and crafts home in Lake Forest. On the grounds, there was a large meadow, a virgin prairie, a barn replete with farm animals, endless pastures and beautiful gardens. Clearly, this setting was the inspiration for her specialty, garden sculpture. Although she created a broad range of works, she is known for depicting life—sized children and animals. They are meant to be tender “objects of quiet contemplation.” Judson has a second piece on Ravinia’s grounds entitled Girl with the Violin, which is positioned on top of the water fountain.
Corten Steel
Kowal is a native Chicagoan who predominantly works in metal. His sculptures are flame-cut steel and are influenced by Modernist tradition. The rusted surface resembles earth tones and intentionally emphasizes the fluidity and ever changing nature of the environment. Freehling donated this piece because he felt it belonged at Ravinia, remarking that the energy of “Forward Moving Landscape draws people into the park.” Kowal has another sculpture on the grounds entitled Vertical Migration Series #9.
Steel
Kaplan is both a sculptor and an architect who believed in creating art for form as well as function. This sculpture was created from a single piece of metal that personifies setting planes in motion with the intent of showing energy and offering a place for rest. This bench allows for two people to face one another and also interact with art and the environment at the same time. Kaplan dedicated this bench to his grandfather, and as the title implies, they were all cut from the same cloth. The Kaplan family donated the sculpture in 2011 and the Chorus Fountain in 2016.
Cast Aluminum
Iglesias is a Spanish installation artist and sculptor living in Madrid. Her “Bamboo Forest” embodies the multiple layers of experience one can have while visiting Ravinia. It encourages viewers to think beyond the norm and explore creativity. The concept of bam-boo itself is unusual in Chicago; yet, Iglesias redefines the environment and her sculptures invite viewers to enter the forest, considering it a space within a space. From a distance, her attention to detail fades; however, upon closer examination, the intricate textures she creates are remarkable.
Acrylic/Plexiglas
Werner named this sculpture after a piece by Robert Schumann, considered to be one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann composed Widmung as a gift for his soon to be bride. It was the embodiment of love, marriage and companionship. Using this passionate composition as her inspiration, Werner created her version of Widmung, consisting of ten 8-foot panels of acrylic/Plexiglas with graduated elliptical openings. The ellipses were cut by laser due to the enormous weight of the piece and the precision that was required. Her work deals with reflection, transparency and light as it is refracted by edges and curves. As one moves around the sculpture, multiple images can be seen as the light changes.
Welded Stainless Steel
Hunt created this piece to honor Edward Gordon, who ran Ravinia from 1968—1990. He advocated for an on-campus training program for young professional musicians, which later became the Ravinia Steans Music Institute (RSMI).
Painted Steel on Granite
“HIS ARM ENCIRLES ME, AND MINE, AND ALL” — Mary Baker Eddy. This quotation is engraved on the bottom of this piece. Radoff loves circular motion and works without a sketch capturing his first impressions of the balance between tenderness and power in life and in nature. Many viewers are surprised to know that Radoff had an alter ego; he was a biker with the nickname Yosemite Sam. His career began by painting motorcycles, cars, helicopters and even tanks. Soon he began welding and ultimately became a prolific metal sculptor.
Welded Stainless Steel
This bench was created by Hunt specifically for the space outside of the Freehling Room. It was donated in 2012 by Stanley Freehling in loving memory of his wife, Joan. While the sculpture features two hearts intertwined, much of its beauty comes from Hunt’s romantic design and the emotion it evokes. Two people can sit comfortably side by side.
Stainless Steel
Graetz is a Swiss-Israeli sculptor now living in Tuscany. His public art is found in major cities around the world. This sculpture was enlarged from a smaller piece and was deliberately placed in a small garden, where it becomes a living object and fully occupies the space. It winds upward reflecting both sun and moon light, drawing the viewer’s eye upward to the sky.
Bronze
Cook is an American sculptor who lived and worked in Rome. He achieved worldwide fame as an artist who could capture motion in fluid bronze. The idea of a merry-go-round revives the historic days of Ravinia when it was an amusement park. With abstract shapes that resemble children and carousel horses, this sculpture is an expression of timeless joy and continuous motion. Until the sculpture was gifted to Ravinia, it was on display outside of the Gidwitz family’s home in Highland Park.
Bronze
This sculpture is meant to capture rising smoke and was originally part of the water fountain at Ravinia. Burlini was a product designer for Sears, Roebuck and Co. When he retired, he pursued an artistic path creating sculptures that are kinetic, moving creations which quickly became very popular and adorned many corporations in Chicago and nationwide.
Bronze
Ferrari is an Italian-born sculptor living in Chicago. He produces monumental sculptures in bronze, steel, iron, marble and granite. This bronze sculpture, Forme Danzanti, means dancing forms. It represents the motion and lyricism of dance while encouraging the interaction between the casual viewer, the environment and the sculpture. This bronze represents Ferrari’s depiction of the search for life’s essence, the condition of man, and the embracing of male and female forces.
Bronze
Kresnoff was born in Chicago of Russian immigrants. has worked with many materials. While she was known for welding steel and bronze, she also worked with wood, fabrics, ceramics, clay and jewelry. This piece expresses balance, movement and music all channeled into this bronze circus tightrope walker.
Bronze
This is one of two sculptures in the park by Judson and is centered in the middle of a drinking fountain. There are many similarities between Judson’s work and that of her teacher, Albin Polasek who created Elizabeth.
Welded Steel
Carousel Horse pays homage to the Ravinia of 1904, when it was an amusement park. This is one of several works by Richard Hunt in the Park. Each sculpture is quite different, demonstrating Hunt’s versatility with a wide range of styles and artistic venue.
Bronze
Opposing forces pervade Etrog’s work, creating tension and perhaps reflecting his life experience living under Nazi occupation from 1939—1945. He was preoccupied by the human condition and “the urge to survive.” Etrog was born in Romania, emigrated to Israel in 1950, and subsequently lived in New York and Canada. The sculptor’s language is thought to be an anti-war statement and the piece has conflicting energies. The bottom half is dominated by a circular motif while the top half appears to be an off-balance ascending vertical line. Survivors communicates the tensions and interactions between man and machine.
Bronze
Polasek was a Czech- American sculptor. After periods of residence in Rome and New York, he came to the Art Institute of Chicago to head the sculpture department, where he remained for thirty years. His piece, Elizabeth, is a traditional statue of a young child, standing tall and carefree — beauty surrounded by beauty as she listens to the music around her. This figure expresses youth and serenity. Polasek influenced and taught Sylvia Shaw Judson (The Dancer and Girl Playing a Violin) at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Bronze
Latika, who lives in New Delhi, India says, “I always felt sculpture has to be marvelously clear and transparent in terms of translating the expression of the subject. I would often ask my models if they would sit for me and the expression on their faces is what drew me to my subjects. My works were born of the effort of thoughts and observation, rising into the reality of the lived moment from the characteristics of what I saw.”
Corten Steel
Kowal, a native Chicagoan predominantly works predominantly in metal. This abstract sculpture in the park conveys rhythm and motion. His sculptures are flame—cut steel and are influenced by Modernist tradition. The rusted surfaces resemble earth tones and intentionally emphasize the fluidity and ever-changing nature of the environment. Kowal has another sculpture in the Park, Forward Moving Landscape (#2).
Bronze
Botero is a figurative artist and sculptor from Medellin, Colombia. He is considered Colombia’s most celebrated and wealthiest artist. At an early age, Botero was sent away from home to become a bullfighter. But, he liked painting the bulls far more than fighting them. That is when he began copying and distorting old masters by manipulating space and perspective. Botero showed disregard for natural proportions and adopted a style of subtle satire. These signature characteristics are apparent in Standing Woman which obviously shows an exaggerated and disproportionate woman standing more than 11 feet tall and weighing more than 2,000 pounds. Worthy of note, in Botero’s work, he makes his subjects voluminous and emphasizes that they are not to be described as fat.
Bronze
Chadwick is an English artist and sculptor known for his semi abstract work in bronze and steel. He was initially trained as an architect and approached his work much like an architect would address a project—that is, finding a solution to a problem. His style is clearly geometric. Chadwick’s work can be recognized by his use of triangular elements. Often he combines triangles to create rectangles or squares; but he can create entire bodies simply by using the basic triangle.
Bronze
Pattison is an internationally known sculptor and native Chicago artist who worked mainly in cast bronze, welded brass and carved marble. He first attended art classes at The Art Institute of Chicago at the age of 10, while a student at Francis Parker School. He then attended Yale University, training in classical traditions of drawing, fresco and egg tempera painting, but ultimately chose sculpture as his primary art form. Genesis is described as a globular organic shape that is “a figure of mystery” even to Pattison. He lived in Winnetka for 35 years and joined the faculty of the Art Institute of Chicago teaching sculpture.
Welded Bronze
This is one of the favorites of Jazz musicians as it is a visual depiction of music improvisation... organization evolves out of chaos. Hunt, who was one of the first sculpture donors at the Ravinia, has several other fascinating sculptures in the park.
Bluestone
Vaadia is an Israeli—American artist best known for his stone sculpture. Growing up on a farm, he felt a very strong connection to the earth, stone in particular, as he viewed it as the earth’s bone structure. In the Israeli army, he was assigned to the engineering unit; but during periods of leave, he would travel to Jerusalem to learn how to make stone carving tools and restore ancient stonework. He moved to New York in his early 20s where he was first introduced to bluestone and slate, which had been discarded in the streets and broke naturally in layers. That became his inspiration in creating sculpture based on sheets of stone.
In David and Yonatan, Vaadia stacks graduated rock sheets and then chips away at unwanted pieces transforming the stone into figures. His sculptures are held together by gravity.
Granite
A Texas native, Moroles is known for his monumental abstract granite works. While studying in Italy, he was inspired by the marble carving techniques he observed and began carving granite using a diamond saw, the only stone harder than granite. A slab of granite can weigh up to ten tons; yet in chiseling away large chunks of stone, Moroles reveals delicate patterns underneath the surface. He explains, “My work is a discussion of how man exists in nature and touches nature and uses nature. Each of my pieces has about 50 percent of its surfaces untouched and raw—those are parts of the stone that were torn. The rest of the work is smoothed and polished. The effect, which I want people to not only look at but touch, is a harmonious coexistence of the two.”
Painted Aluminum
Tony Rosenthal, a Highland Park native, is best known for his monumental public art sculptures. Some say this looks like a staircase or ladder while musicians think the seven waves are notes of a scale. And, since Bach’s music is far more complex than it ever initially appears, this piece is appropriately entitled J.S. Bach Variations. When first installed, this sculpture consisted of only four panels; three additional panels were later added.
Corten Steel, two pieces
Hunt inaugurated Ravinia’s outdoor sculpture exhibit by gifting these two monumental pieces in 1976; at the same time, he became a trustee of Ravinia. Hunt, a Chicago native and one of America’s foremost living sculptors, says: “I try to communicate by form taken from nature—plants, animals, etc. and its interaction with landscapes.” Although Hunt was a graduate of The Art Institute of Chicago, he taught himself how to weld by working with copper and iron, and then progressed into aluminum and steel. His sculptures often represent social and political beliefs.
Painted Aluminum
John Henry says that he was always fascinated by the construction industry and this sculpture is indicative of that passion. He has created some of the largest contemporary metal sculptures (90 to 100 feet) in the United States. Henry's sculpture has been described as resembling an enormous welded steel drawing. He arranges linear and rectilinear elements that seem to be floating and defying gravity. It appears as though he has frozen time, keeping steel beams from falling to the ground. The yellow color gives his work a light, reflective quality.
Stainless Steel
This vertical stainless steel sculpture embodies Lordes’s view of a door, no matter whether one thinks it is opened or closed.
Painted Stainless Steel
Silent Music was inspired by Plensa’s experience as a young boy in Barcelona when he climbed into his family’s piano and listened while his father played. The sculpture is in the form of a crouching person and is composed of musical notes and staffs, open in the center, inviting viewers inside so they can experience the physical and spiritual presence of music like Plensa did as a child. As one of the world’s foremost sculptors, Plensa’s works are exhibited worldwide. In Chicago, he is credited for creating the pond and fountain at Millennium Park. He is also renowned for his prints and paintings.
Welded Bronze
Hunt was invited to create a work for the newly opened Freehling Room in 2012. He designed a wall mounted sculpture that extends beyond the frame, rather than a more traditional sculpture that rises up from a base.
Bronze
These life–sized dogs demonstrate that art can be both beautiful and practical. When first given to Ravinia, they were positioned on top of a drinking fountain. They were admired by Marshall and were originally located on the side of Kraft’s driveway before they were donated to Ravinia.
Bronze
Waddell has been fascinated with the human form and the ranges and shapes within one figure. The human form is constantly changing and Waddell captures that delicate balance in his works. He explains his process as that of first sketching the figure, then working with wax, clay or plaster and then the piece is cast in bronze. Besides his sculptures, Waddell is known for his oil paintings, pastels, watercolors, drawings, lithographs and stone and wood carvings.
Bronze
This sculpture is by the same artist as The Harpist; therefore you can see a similar focus on human shapes and forms. Musicians believe this is very realistic, especially as it relates to her posture, the way she holds the flute, and her embouchure.
Ravinia’s aquatic sculpture is a choreographed chorus of music, water and underwater lights. The fountain is meant to welcome audiences to the historic front entrance and set the tone for the experience concert goers will have once in the park. It is designed with underwater LED lights and robots. It digitally creates an ever–changing music and water repertoire. This fountain was gifted by Dolores Kohl Kaplan and dedicated to Morris Kaplan, whom she met as Trustees on the Ravinia Board.
Hyper-Polished Bronze
Concerto represents Graetz’s effort to catch the wind—the feel of a bird’s vibrating wings as it passes. Its great depth of feeling and sense of beauty, created in an opaque material, make this piece mesmerizing.
