Palo Alto, Part 2: Stanford Afternoon

After a morning of taking in the art at Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center, my friend Kevin and I headed outside to explore more of the campus. And there was more art.

1 of 2 casts of *Gay Liberation* by sculptor George Segal. This cast was originally installed at Stanford in 1984. The other cast is in New York, outside the Stonewall Inn. It was the first public art dedicated to gay rights.

The Burghers of Calais

The Burghers of Calais is a major work by Auguste Rodin. It was commissioned by the city of Calais France, to recognize a significant event in the city’s history. The original cast stands in a group in Calais.

Stanford has individual casts of the 6 historical figures. In the morning, we saw a nude study Rodin did for 1 of the figures.

Memorial Church

Memorial Church was built by Jane Stanford in the memory of her late husband Leland. It was the 1st nondenominational church on the West Coast. It was designed by architect Charles A. Coolidge, a student of Henry Hobson Richardson, who created the Richardsonian Romanesque style. We had previously seen an example of Richardsonian Romanesque at the San Jose Museum of Art.

Detail of the beautiful mosaic work on the façade.

Yup, I still can’t get enough of golden mosaics.

A stained glass window depicting the Annunciation.

Behind the altar is a reproduction of the *Last Supper* by Italian Renaissance painter Cosimo Rosselli. The orignal is in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

Outside Again

Hoover Tower houses the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. The archives were founded by Stanford alum Herbert Hoover before he became president. The tower was built to celebrate Stanford’s 50th anniversary in 1941.

Kevin and I headed outside again after taking in Memorial Church. The plan was to go up Hoover Tower to take in the view from the observation deck. But they cut off admissions to the tower early. I was pissed.

On the way to our last stop on campus, we came across *Boo-Qwilla*, a totem pole by indigenous artist Art Thompson.

Anderson Collection

*Before, Again IV*, 1985, by American artist Joan Mitchell.

If you didn’t get enough art in Part 1, fear not. Kevin and I wrapped up our day at Stanford at the Anderson Collection, a museum of contemporary art located right next to the Cantor Arts Center. And if Part 1 had more than enough art for you, don’t worry. The art here is pretty interesting to look at.