The Stamford Cone is a

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

pavilion, commissioned from the artist

Brian Clarke Sir Brian Clarke (born 2 July 1953) is a British Painting, painter, architectural artist, designer and Printmaking, printmaker, known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, symbolist paintings, set designs, and collaborations w ...

as a site-specific artwork for the headquarters of

UBS AG UBS Group AG (stylized simply as UBS) is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland, with headquarters in both Zurich and Basel. It holds a strong foothold in all major fina ...

and landmark feature for the city of

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

in the United States. Designed and fabricated over three years, it was completed in 1999 at a cost of over $1 million. The realisation of the design was executed jointly by Clarke, architects

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill SOM, an initialism of its original name Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, is a Chicago-based architectural, urban planning, and engineering firm. It was founded in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings. In 1939, they were joined by engineer ...

, and engineered by Goldreich Engineering and Dewhurst MacFarlane & Partners. The work was fabricated under Clarke's supervision in Munich, Germany, by the Mayer'sche Hofkunstanstalt. At the time of its completion, the artwork was the largest free-standing glass structure ever made.

History

In 1996, the British artist Brian Clarke was approached by the

Swiss Bank Corporation Swiss Bank Corporation (French language, French: ''Société de banque suisse''; German language, German: ''Schweizerischer Bankverein'') was a Swiss Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. Prio ...

to design a work of site-specific art for their new headquarters in Connecticut, as part of the City of Stamford's Percent for Art programme. The artwork was to be situated in a landscaped park being laid out adjacent to the headquarters complex, now named Gateway Commons. The following year, SBC Warburg was merged with U.S. investment bank Dillon, Read & Co. to create

Warburg Dillon Read Dillon, Read & Co. was an investment bank based in New York City. In 1991, it was acquired by Barings Bank and, in 1997, it was acquired by Swiss Bank Corporation, which was in turn acquired by UBS in 1998. History Carpenter & Vermilye Dillo ...

, and at the time of the work's completion, following the merger of the Swiss Bank Corporation and

Union Bank of Switzerland Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) was a Swiss Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. The bank, which at the time was the second largest bank in Switzerland, merged with Swiss Bank Corporation in ...

, was operating as

UBS Warburg UBS Group AG (stylized simply as UBS) is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services firm founded and based in Switzerland, with headquarters in both Zurich and Basel. It holds a strong foothold in all major fina ...

. The Stamford Cone was formally dedicated on 3 June 1999.

Design and fabrication

The resolved work of art takes the form of a conical structure formed entirely of glass, and was designed and fabricated by Clarke, over a period of three years. The composition consists of 204 individual panels of mouth-blown glass laminated to a skin of protective float that forms the exterior glazing, supported by 16 fins of laminated, toughened glass, with steel ring beams and tension cables the only non-glass elements.

Location

The work is located in Gateway Commons, a landscaped park that runs along Washington Boulevard adjacent to the former UBS Dillon Warburg center, created as part of the 1990s regeneration drive for the area that included the commission of the Cone.

Gallery

Image:The_Stamford_Cone_by_Brian_Clarke_during_fabrication.jpg, The Stamford Cone during fabrication Image:Stamford Cone at the UBS building in Stamford, Connecticut LCCN2012631407.tif , Interior view of the Stamford Cone

References

Buildings and structures in Stamford, Connecticut Culture of Stamford, Connecticut Outdoor sculptures in Connecticut Glass works of art 1999 sculptures Tourist attractions in Stamford, Connecticut Stained glass Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Pavilions in the United States Contemporary art Works by Brian Clarke 1999 establishments in Connecticut {{Art-stub