Argo is a public artwork by Russian

Russians

The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....

 artist Alexander Liberman

Alexander Liberman

Alexander Semeonovitch Liberman was a Russian-American magazine editor, publisher, painter, photographer, and sculptor. He held senior artistic positions during his 32 years at Condé Nast Publications.-Biography:When his father took a post advising the Soviet government, the family moved to Moscow...

 located on the south lawn of the Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum is located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Beginning around 1872, multiple organizations were founded in order to bring an art gallery to Milwaukee, as the city was still a growing port town with little or no facilities to hold major art exhibitions...

, which is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, U.S.A. The artwork was made in 1974 from steel cylinders painted with a reflective white epoxy finish. It measures 15 feet high by 31 feet wide.

Description

Alex Liberman’s impressive steel sculpture was originally located in an outdoor exhibition in Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

. Mrs. Harry Lynde (Peg) Bradley purchased the sculpture because she determined it would complement the architecture of the newly enlarged Milwaukee Art Center

Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum is located on Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.Beginning around 1872, multiple organizations were founded in order to bring an art gallery to Milwaukee, as the city was still a growing port town with little or no facilities to hold major art exhibitions...

 building, which had been largely financed by the Bradley funds

Bradley Foundation

The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a conservative foundation with about half a billion US dollars in assets. According to the Bradley Foundation 1998 Annual Report, it gives away more than $30 million per year...

. Argo became the first sculpture on the grounds of the museums new wing. With its form of white circles and cylinders, the sculpture not only enhances the building, but, when viewed from the west, appears to float on the surface of the water. This effect is exactly as the artist intended, as implied by the title, Argo

Argo

In Greek mythology, the Argo was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to retrieve the Golden Fleece. It was named after its builder, Argus.-Legend:...

-the heroic adventure ship of the ancient Greeks.

Argo, with its reflective white epoxy paint finish and correct sitting, is a fine example of the Artist’s 1970’s style of monumental geometric sculpture. During this period the artist was interested in the interplay between positive and negative spaces. Examples of other Liberman styles and sculptures can be seen at the Bradley Sculpture Garden.

Location history

Initially during the summer of 1974, the sculpture was located in Newport, Rhode Island. Mounted a large contemporary outdoor exhibition entitled "Monumenta". Alexander Liberman’s Argo, sited on the edge of the water, received favorable notice and reviews.

Acquisition

Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley purchased the sculpture because she determined it would complement the architecture of the newly enlarged Milwaukee Art Center building, which had been largely financed by the Bradley funds.