Picasso’s statue

You’re not dreaming, it really is a 15-metre-high Picasso, standing right in front of you in the heart of downtown, on Daley Plaza. This open-air work of art, accessible to all, will be the first of many. It was commissioned by the architects of the Daley Center as part of the Percent for Art program, which sets aside a percentage of every project for public art. The statue’s design was donated by Picasso, who refused to be paid for his model. As the artist did not name it, the statue is generally referred to as the Picasso of Chicago. There is a lot of speculation about its representation : some see a bird, others a baboon or the Egyptian deity Anubis. In an article about his passion for pets, Picasso said: “At the moment,I have an Afghan greyhound named Kaboul. He’s elegant, with graceful proportions, and I love the way he moves. I put a representation of his head on a statue I created for Daley Plaza in Chicago.” But people close to the artist say it’s Sylvette David, who modelled for him a lot. But no matter what you see in this sculpture, the element of mystery is part of the game.