{"id":236,"date":"2011-08-25T17:29:13","date_gmt":"2011-08-25T17:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tmcldev.wpengine.com\/mcgovern\/2011\/08\/25\/outdoor-sculpture-in-the-medical-center\/"},"modified":"2019-08-30T18:01:59","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T18:01:59","slug":"outdoor-sculpture-in-the-medical-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/library.tmc.edu\/mcgovern\/2011\/08\/25\/outdoor-sculpture-in-the-medical-center\/","title":{"rendered":"Outdoor Sculpture in the Medical Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant<\/strong>
\nmcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu<\/a>
\nIt’s been a long week and–guess what?–I’m still going through slides.\u00a0 I’ve learned more than I ever wanted to know about the ways in which plastic can deteriorate after a couple of decades.\u00a0 Did you know that something can be sticky and greasy at the same time?\u00a0 Go figure.\u00a0 I need to start collecting examples and write a post on archival nightmares.
\nI won’t stoop to Fear Factor<\/em> tactics this week, though.\u00a0 It rained today and I’m in a good mood, so let’s look at some art instead.\u00a0 The Medical Center has quite a number of outdoor sculptures, if you know where to find them.\u00a0 This collection is by no means complete.
\n1. Rose Van Vranken<\/a>[1], “Flame”, 1991.<\/strong>\u00a0 Outside of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center<\/a>[3].
\nAm I the only one who thinks that M.D. Anderson has the best slogan ever?\u00a0 “Making Cancer history.”
\n

\"\"<\/a>
"Flame"<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n2. “Wave of Life”, 1952, Wheeler Williams<\/a>[4].\u00a0<\/strong> This Art Deco trio is in front of the University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Main Building, and was carved from a single block of limestone.\u00a0 It came with the building when it was purchased in 1974[5].
\n
\"\"<\/a>
"Wave of Life"<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n3. “Celebration”, Gary Lee Price<\/a>[6].\u00a0<\/strong> At the Ronald McDonald House<\/a>[7].\u00a0 Price seems to specialize in whimsical, child-oriented subjects.
\n
\"\"<\/a>
"Celebration"<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n4. George Hermann<\/a>[8], circa 1980-1981,<\/strong> Lonnie Joe Edwards<\/a>[9].<\/strong>\u00a0 George H. Hermann is in Hermann Park.\u00a0 I had a bit of trouble tracking down the artist, and I’m not sure yet that I have it right, but I found a number of older references from Texas Monthly magazine that placed a sculptor by that name “familiar with metal techniques”[12] in central Texas.\u00a0 A Google search turned up a Lonnie Edwards in Salado<\/a>[13], which is between Austin and Waco in what could reasonably be called “central Texas”.\u00a0 This 2007 Webshots gallery<\/a>[14] appears to be of Mr. Edwards’ workshop; notice the sculpture of the girl and her horse.
\nUpdate: Ah–a picture of Mr. Edwards and some of his work<\/a>, with a reference to George Hermann[32].
\n
\"\"<\/a>
"George H. Hermann"<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n5. “Pranath Yama”, 1978, Mark di Suvero<\/a>[15].\u00a0<\/strong> In front of Baylor College of Medicine<\/a>‘s[16] Michael E. DeBakey Center for Biomedical Education and Research<\/a>[17].\u00a0 Di Suvero’s Bygones<\/em><\/a>[18] (1976) can be seen at the Menil Collection.
\n
\"\"<\/a>
"Pranath Yama"<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n6. “A Symbol of Excellence”[19], 1976-1977, Theodore H. McKinney<\/strong>.\u00a0 McKinney and his daughter were both patients at the Texas Heart Institute.
\n
\"\"<\/a>
"A Symbol of Excellence"<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nHere’s Dr. Denton Cooley with the indoor version:
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Dr. Denton Cooley with wooden heart<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n7. “Prometheus Unbound”, 1972, Pat Foley<\/a>[21].<\/strong>\u00a0 Prometheus<\/a>[22] with his broken chains stands out front of The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research<\/a>[23], inspiring patients to throw off their handicaps.
\n
\"\"<\/a>
"Prometheus Unbound"<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n8. St. Anthony.\u00a0<\/strong> This was in the walkway of the former St. Anthony’s Center, which was founded in 1898 as a home for the elderly\u00a0 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word<\/a>[24].\u00a0 This mid-century building<\/a>[25] has apparently been renovated into apartments.
\n
\"\"<\/a>
St. Anthony<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\n9. Michael E. DeBakey, M.D.\u00a0<\/strong> This bust, which sits (or sat, at the time this picture was taken) outside of Methodist Hospital<\/a>[26], was commissioned by Lilian of Belgium<\/a>[27] after DeBakey operated on her husband, Leopold III<\/a>[28], former King of Belgium.\u00a0 This website<\/a>[31] says it was sculpted by Georges Muguet and erected in 1978, although the fact that they spelled his first name wrong and left the “s” off of “Georges” makes me think that some follow-up research is in order.\"Michael<\/a>
\nWorks consulted:<\/strong>
\n[1] Rose Van Vranken website<\/a>.
\n[2] Rose Van Vranken exhibit page<\/a>, The Marian Library<\/a>, University of Dayton<\/a>, Ohio.
\n[3] University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center<\/a>.
\n[4] Wheeler Williams on Wikipedia<\/a>.
\n[5] Texas Medical Center papers, IC 2, Series 1, box 19, image #70; John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center; Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library; Houston, Texas.
\n[6] Gary Lee Price website<\/a>.
\n[7] Ronald McDonald House<\/a>, Houston.
\n[8] George H. Hermann<\/a>, Handbook of Texas Online.
\n[9] Art by ZIP code, City of Houston<\/a>.
\n[10] Texas Monthly, December 1975<\/a>.
\n[11] Texas Monthly, February 1976<\/a>.
\n[12] Texas Monthly, December 1983<\/a>.
\n[13] Google maps<\/a>.
\n[14] Webshots, alicefulbright, “Salado April 2007<\/a>” album.
\n[15] Mark di Suvero on Wikipedia<\/a>.
\n[16] Baylor College of Medicine, Handbook of Texas Online<\/a>.
\n[17] Baylor College of Medicine, Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery<\/a>.
\n[18] The Menil Collection<\/a>, the Menil Neighborhood.
\n[19] Texas Heart Institute<\/a>.
\n[20] Texas Medical Center papers, IC 2, Series 1, box 19, folder 6; John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center; Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library; Houston, Texas.
\n[21] Little, Carol Morris, A Comprehensive Guide to Outdoor Sculpture in Texas<\/a>, University of Texas Press, 1996.\u00a0 Out of print<\/a>, but it’s on Google Books.
\n[22] Prometheus on Wikipedia<\/a>.
\n[23] Memorial Hermann Healthcare, The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research<\/a>.
\n[24] Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word<\/a>.
\n[25] Arch-ive.org<\/a>.
\n[26] The Methodist Hospital<\/a>.
\n[27] Lilian<\/a>, Princess de R\u00e9thy, on Wikipedia.
\n[28] Leopold III of Belgium<\/a>, on Wikipedia.
\n[29] Texas Monthly, April 1979<\/a>.
\n[30] “The rich, famous, sought out DeBakey’s Help<\/a>,” Houston Chronicle, Sunday, July 13, 2008.
\n[31] Michael DeBakey<\/a>, Answers.com
\n[32] Lonnie Joe Edwards<\/a> image pages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alethea Drexler, archives assistant mcgovern@exch.library.tmc.edu It’s been a long week and–guess what?–I’m still going through slides.\u00a0 I’ve learned more than I ever wanted to know about the ways in which plastic can deteriorate after a couple of decades.\u00a0 Did you know that something can be sticky and greasy at the same time?\u00a0 Go figure.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n

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