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Steel Structure Trivia: Picasso Sculpture Turns 50

Steel Structure Trivia: Picasso Sculpture Turns 50

Chicago’s iconic Picasso Sculpture turned 50 in August, and a rededication celebration led by Mayor Rahm Emanuel was held in Daley Plaza. The sculpture was unveiled on August 15, 1967, and is considered to be artist Pablo Picasso's first large-scale civic sculpture in America. The 50-ft-tall sculpture weighs more than 160 tons and is built with exposed weathering steel (commonly referred to as COR-TEN steel), the same material as the exterior of the Daley Center located behind it. This world-renowned landmark was originally commissioned by the architects of the Richard J. Daley Center in 1963 through the architecture firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Though his sculpture was commissioned, Picasso refused payment and gave his sculpture to the city of Chicago as a gift. (Photo: Brian Woychuk / Flickr)

October 27 2017

Our October Steel Structure Trivia question is:

Who fabricated the steel for the Picasso Sculpture, and where?

Answer:

The steel for the Picasso Sculpture was fabricated by the American Bridge division of the U.S. Steel Corporation in Gary, Ind. (U.S. Steel holds the registered trademark on the name COR-TEN). Congratulations to our winners! They are: Derek Hoffman, a detailer/designer with SWF Industrial, Inc., Wrightsville, Pa.; Nep Viajar, a civil/structural engineer at Fluor Corp., Houston; and Miguel A Dodes Traian, an engineering manager at ENAS.

You can test your structural steel knowledge right here on our MSC website on the last Friday of each month, where a new trivia question will be posted to the News section. Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, our next challenge will be posted on Friday, November 17.

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