“Look around you” I want to begin our story about the Pharos Sculpture. What do you see? The Pharos Sculpture is a testament to Glasgow’s commitment to art in public spaces. It enriches the city’s cultural landscape.
Glasgow is known as a city interwoven with history. Public statues showcase the wealth and history of the city over centuries. The municipality and public subscriptions erected many. Others adorn the facades of great commercial buildings.
The Glasgow – City of Sculpture website is an important resource. It dives into the history of public and architectural sculpture in Glasgow. It covers over four centuries of sculptural work. It includes the golden age of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. It also includes more recent works.
The website has over 300 biographies. These biographies cover sculptors, carvers, architects, builders, and foundries. These people contributed to making Glasgow a great City of Sculpture. The biographies include images of sculpture and buildings they produced. They also include portraits of the artists themselves.
The Sculpture Database lists over 400 sculpture works in Glasgow. It includes details of locations, execution dates, and the artists involved. It also gives links to image galleries and biography pages. You can sort the database by street, district or chronologically.
Glasgow’s public art ranges from statues in George Square to murals in Bath Lane. George Square is Glasgow’s central public square laid out in 1782. Houses appeared between 1784 and 1820. Many became hotels after the opening of Queen Street Station. The square is now a public space. It is dominated by the City Chambers, the former Post Office building, and the Merchant’s House.
The first statue erected in George Square was the Statue of Sir John Moore. The Equestrian statue of Victoria was the first equestrian statue of a woman in Britain.
Glasgow is committed to making art accessible. The Pharos Sculpture joins many other works of art throughout the city. These works enrich Glasgow’s cultural landscape. They offer residents and visitors a chance to experience art in everyday life.
The equestrian Duke of Wellington Statue is an integral part of Glasgow. It sits with a traffic cone on his head. The sculpture has been around since 1844. In 2013, the council planned to double the height of the statue. The council hoped to deter the public from putting a conical hat on it. However, an online petition resulted in a victory for Glasgow.
The website is the most important resource available. The Glasgow – City of Sculpture website provides information and images. Consider making a donation to the site. This would assist in continuing research and photography. It would also assist in developing the website further.