Skip to main content

Image / Sun God: general view of sculpture with vine covered arch and eucalyptus …

Have a question about this item?

Item information. View source record on contributor's website.

Title
Sun God: general view of sculpture with vine covered arch and eucalyptus grove in background
Creator
Cohen, Becky (American photographer, contemporary)
Saint-Phalle, Niki de (French sculptor, writer, and scenographer, 1930-2002)
Date Created and/or Issued
1983
Contributing Institution
UC San Diego, The UC San Diego Library
Collection
Stuart Collection Photographs
Rights Information
Under copyright
Constraint(s) on Use: This work is protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use of this work beyond that allowed by "fair use" requires written permission of the UC Regents. Responsibility for obtaining permissions and any use and distribution of this work rests exclusively with the user and not the UC San Diego Library. Inquiries can be made to the UC San Diego Library program having custody of the work.
Use: This work is available from the UC San Diego Library. This digital copy of the work is intended to support research, teaching, and private study.
Rights Holder and Contact
Cohen, Becky (American photographer, contemporary)
Description
Architecture and City Planning
Sculpture and Installations
Garden and Landscape
De Saint Phalle's Sun God was the first work commissioned by the Stuart Collection and was her first outdoor commission in America. The exuberantly colored, fourteen-foot bird is placed atop a fifteen-foot concrete arch and sited on a grassy area between the Faculty Club and Mandeville Auditorium. "This was the first work in the Stuart Collection. Niki came with Jean Tinguely to look and talk about ideas. She came up with this large bird welcoming people to the campus. Students started the Sun God Festival the year after it was installed, 1984, and it has become the largest annual event on campus except graduations. The Sun God is made of fiberglass with a steel armature on the inside. The colors are acrylic resin and the crown is gold leaf. Students say that to get an A on an exam one must walk backwards through the A-shaped arch." - Mary Beebe, Stuart Collection Director
UC San Diego Library, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0175 (https://library.ucsd.edu/dc/contact)
Mandeville Center: University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, California, United States
Type
image
Format
Mixed media; concrete; fiberglass; gilding; gold leaf; acrylic paint; 14 feet (height)
Form/Genre
site-specific works
landscape architecture
public art
sculpture (visual work)
caricatures
architecture (object genre)
installations (visual works)
Language
No linguistic content
Subject
Crowns (headdresses)
Contemporary
Birds
Gilding
Deities
American
Colossi
Humor
Arches
Women artists
Color
Vines
University of California, San Diego--History
Site-specific works
Landscape architecture
Public art
Sculpture (visual work)
Caricatures
Architecture (object genre)
Installations (visual works)

About the collections in Calisphere

Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. View our statement on digital primary resources.

Copyright, permissions, and use

If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.

Share your story

Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.

Explore related content on Calisphere: