Renaissance (Bakalar)
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''Renaissance'' is a public artwork by American artist David Bakalar, located at the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.


Description

''Renaissance'' consists of two
granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
pieces placed upon a stone display. The proper left piece is shaped like an obelisk cut in half placed on the diagonal on the display. Its tip is a
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
triangle. The proper right piece features a granite sphere resting on a triangular shaped pedestal. The tip of the obelisk is close to the sphere, a few inches from touching the ball. It aims towards a gold disk placed on the sphere. The sculpture sits outside the entrance to the William T. Golden Center for Science and Engineering.


Artist

David Bakalar was a
physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
before becoming a sculptor. With degrees from
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
, science influences his creation process. Founder of Transitron Electronic Corporation, his work specialized in
transistor A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch electrical signals and electric power, power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semicondu ...
design and manufacturing, his tenure lasted thirty years before devoting himself to sculpture."David Bakalar – Transistor Museum Historic Profile"
/ref> His work is in the collections of MIT,
Massachusetts College of Art Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation's oldest art schools, and the only publicly funded independent art sch ...
,
Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...
,
Columbia University Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The university is known for its legal scholarship dating ba ...
and others. Bakalar describes his work: "I've always been fascinated by the codes and molecules that are the Life Force. My sculptures, subject to multiple interpretations, abstractly reflect the complexity of this force and our common identity with all of nature."


Acquisition

The piece was donated in September 1999 by the artist for permanent display at AAAS. Its dedication coincided with an exhibit of Bakalar's work that ran through February 2000 at AAAS.


See also

* List of public art in Washington, D.C., Ward 2


References


Further reading

*Narayanan, Nisha, Lisa Onaga & Coimbra Sirica. ''AAAS News and Notes'' Science. New Series, Vol. 292, No 5521. 2001. p. 1563. {{Public art in Washington, D.C., state=collapsed 1989 establishments in Washington, D.C. 1989 sculptures American Association for the Advancement of Science Gold sculptures in the United States Granite sculptures in Washington, D.C. Outdoor sculptures in Washington, D.C. Northwest (Washington, D.C.)