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Agora

Agora is an installation of 106 headless and armless iron sculptures in the south end of Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois. Designed by Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, the figures were made in a foundry near Poznań between 2004 and 2006 and brought to Chicago in 2006 as a permanent loan from the Polish Ministry of Culture. Each hollow iron figure has been allowed to rust, giving it a reddish, bark-like surface. The sculptures appear to be milling about in a crowd, and visitors are meant to walk through them and reflect on the work. The title refers to the public meeting places of ancient Greek city-states.

Agora sculpture with numerous dark headless human figures standing together in Grant Park
Agora in Grant Park, showing a cluster of dark human-form figures on a paved plaza.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Agora sculpture in Grant Park, with tall dark headless figures standing on a paved and grassy area against Chicago buildings.
Agora stands in Grant Park with Chicago’s skyline in the background.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Agora sculpture with dozens of rusted, headless human-like figures spread across a grassy area and walkway in front of the Chicago skyline.
Agora in Grant Park, with its rusted headless figures set against the Chicago skyline.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
Agora sculptures on a green lawn with Chicago skyscrapers in the background.
Agora in Chicago, shown among a grassy park setting with the city skyline behind it.
© · CC BY 2.0
Agora sculpture in Grant Park, with dark upright figures in the foreground and the Chicago skyline beyond the trees.
Agora stands in Grant Park with the Chicago skyline rising in the background.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0

Identification

TitleAgora
Typelarge-scale sculpture installation

Historical context

Date made2004–2006
Installed in Chicago2006

Creator

ArtistMagdalena Abakanowicz
Artist nationalityPolish

Discovery and provenance

Fundingprivate donors, including actor Robin Williams, contributed over $700,000 to bring the work to Chicago by 2006
Brought to Chicago byChicago Park District
LenderPolish Ministry of Culture
Manufacturing sitefoundry near Poznań

Physical characteristics

Number of figures106
Formheadless and armless figures
Height of figures2.7 m
Weight of figuresabout 820 kg

Materials

Materialhollow seamless iron
Surface treatmentallowed to rust

Appearance

Arrangementthe figures appear to be milling about in a crowd; some face each other while others look away
Texturebark-like
Colorreddish

Location and ownership

Ownership/status in Chicagopermanent loan
CityChicago
CountryUnited States
Locationsouth end of Grant Park near Roosevelt Road, Chicago, Illinois, United States

History and restoration

Alternative proposed locationsBP Pedestrian Bridge, Monroe Street harbor, and Chicago's Museum Campus
Transported to Chicago2006
Commissioning and installation contextChicago had hoped for a major work by Abakanowicz for several years; Mayor Richard M. Daley suggested placing it at the south end of Grant Park
Commissioned byPolish Ministry of Culture

Significance

Scale significanceone of the largest similar installations in the world
InterpretationKevin Nance of the Chicago Sun-Times suggested the figures seem to think as individuals rather than as a group, and that the piece can be interpreted as a representation of democracy
Public responsemixed response from Chicagoans; some loved it and others hated it, with "nothing in between" according to Bob O'Neill
Mayor's viewMayor Daley lauded the work and said, "You've got to go through it yourself to feel the spirit of the artist and each piece of artwork."

Iconography and meaning

Name meaningAgora refers to the public meeting places of ancient Greek city-states
Artist's thematic backgroundAbakanowicz said her art draws on her fear of crowds, shaped by growing up during World War II
Artist's description of crowds"mindless organisms acting on command, worshiping on command, and hating on command"
Visitor interactionvisitors are meant to walk through the sculptures and contemplate the work