REMEMBERING RUDY

"Aspiration" a statue of silent movie actor Rudolph Valentino was sculpted by Roger Noble Burnham and erected in DeLongpre Park in Hollywood on May 5, 1930

The inscription on the base of "Aspiration" 

In 1979, another statue dedicated to Rudolph Valentino was erected in the park,
this time a bust sculptured by Richard Ellis

For an interesting (if not downright bizarre) history of the park and these statues, visit Hollywoodland

WHO NEEDS OSCAR?

The Four Ladies of Hollywood statues creating the Hollywood Gateway on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea. A stainless steel gazebo structure was created by Catherine Hardwicke, and unveiled in 1993. Atop the structure of these female forms reminiscent of the Academy Award Oscar, is a weathervane Marilyn Monroe.

Mae West

Dorothy Dandridge

Anna May Wong

Dolores Del Rio

GIMME SHELTER

 In the summer of 2017, select West Hollywood citizens were treated to the company of animatronic vultures and bobcats perched atop bus shelters throughout the city. They were eye-catching promotion displays for the Netflix series "Ozark."

WHILE LENIN READ A BOOK ON MARX

Sculpture by the Gao Brothers - "Miss Mao Trying to Poise Herself  at the Top of Lenin's Head" on display on LaBrea Avenue at 4th at the Ace Museum.

GOIN' DOWNTOWN

Just a few of the sights seen during a walk through downtown Los Angeles.

Neptune Society

Neptune Fountain in Malaga Cove, Palos Verdes, CA.

Standing in the center of the Malaga Cove Plaza, This white marble fountain is a copy of a bronze original in Bologna, Italy. 

 

HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD (AND HIGHLAND)!

The Hollywood/Highland Complex in Hollywood, Ca. is a mall and entertainment complex that opened on the former site of the Hollywood Hotel in 2001. Currently serves as the home base for the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The complex is modeled after a set from the 1916 D.W. Griffith film "Intolerance."

Perches

Giant Chair Art Installation at the Pacific Design Center
West Hollywood, CA.

"And Now, Here's Something We Hope You Really Like!"

1981 photo of the 15-foot Rocky and Bullwinkle Statue on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles across the street from the Chateau Marmont Hotel.
In a traffic-stopping ceremony featuring actress Jayne Mansfield, the statue was unveiled in 1961 to promote "The Bullwinkle Show." Situated in front of what was then The Jay Ward Studios, the statue rotated on its base and was a witty take-off of the famous billboard of the rotating cowgirl advertising the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel. Located across the street from the Bullwinkle statue, the billboard and its iconic showgirl figurehead served as the cover and chief advertising image both for Gore Vidal's novel "Myra Breckinridge" and the notorious 1970 Raquel Welch film.

Image courtesy of rathausprojects.com

Although not visible in the photo posted below for "Can't Stop The Music," the Bullwinkle statue is located just a few feet beyond the billboard, not far from the Jay Ward store, "The Dudley Do-Right Emporium" which sits in the forefront of the photo. The statue still exists today, although both Jay Ward's studio and the Emporium are gone.

Can't Stop The Muses

The Hollywood Bowl "Muse" Fountain in Los Angeles, Ca.

The George Stanley Fountain was built in 1940 (sculptor George Stanley was also the designer of the Academy Award statuette) and features stylized representations of the muses of Music (top photo), Dance (below) and drama (Ok, so I missed that one).

A table-sized reproduction of the fountain appears in the 1980 motion picture, "Xanadu" (Sonny Malone's apartment). The cult roller disco musical makes extensive use of the Streamline Moderne design style in its art direction and production design.   

Statues: aka "Pigeon Provacateurs"

 Statues at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Hollywood Hills

Lincoln statue  Forest Lawn

Oversized Head (the one on the right) Mesoamerican Plaza, Forest Lawn Cemetery,
Hollywood Hills

Los Feliz, California

King Carlos III of Spain
El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park