Famous art tourist destinations
>> Wednesday, October 05, 2016
The 'I Love You' wall - Paris, France
The 'I love you wall' (Le mur des je t'aime), designed by Frederique Bardon and Claire Kito, sits close to Abbesses Square in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. The 430 square foot (40 square meter) wall was completed in 2000 and it has become a meeting place for lovers ever since. The phrase 'I love you' is featured 311 times in 250 different languages on the wall.
The Atomium - Brussels, Belgium
Created by architect André Waterkeyn for the World's Fair of Brussels in 1958, it symbolizes an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Atomium consists of nine stainless steel spheres connected by 20 tubes and resting on three pillars. The tourist attraction was renovated in 2006 with five of the spheres now open to the public. It holds concerts, film showings, conferences and the highest sphere serves as a restaurant with a great view of Brussels.
Little Mermaid - Copenhagen, Denmark
The bronze and granite statue of a forlorn mermaid sitting at Langelinje Pier in Copenhagen is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Denmark. The sculpture was gifted by Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen (son of the founder of Carlsberg) to the city of Copenhagen on Aug. 23, 1913. The commissioned sculptor Edvard Eriksen based it on a fairy tale in which a mermaid gives up everything to be married to a handsome prince on land. The statue has been vandalized several times over the years and was even beheaded in 1964. Her head was reattached but went missing again in 1998, only to be returned anonymously.
Spiral Jetty - Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA
Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson is a basalt-rock spiral 1,500 feet (457.2 meters) long and 15 feet (4.57 meters) wide, and coils counterclockwise off the shore of the Great Salt Lake at Rozel Point peninsula. It was constructed in 1970 and, soon after its creation, it was submerged by the lake, becoming visible again in 2002. The site was acquired by the Dia Art Foundation as a gift from the estate of the artist in 1999.
Park Güell - Barcelona, Spain
Spanish entrepreneur Eusebi Güell gave this private commission to architect Antoni Gaudí in the early 1900s. The city then bought the estate in 1922 and it was officially opened as a public park four years later. In 1984, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. The park welcomes approximately 4 million visitors annually.
Carhenge - Alliance, Nebraska, USA
Thirty-nine automobiles were placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge, in a circle measuring approximately 96 feet (29 meter) in diameter in the city of Alliance. It was conceived by Jim Reinders in 1987 as a memorial to his father. More than 80,000 tourists visit the site annually, with most coming before dawn to view the sunrise. The spectacular automotive homage, which will be in the path of the solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, has been frequently used by film and television productions as a backdrop.
Love Sculpture - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US
This iconic sculpture, by American artist Robert Indiana, was built in 1976 in Love Park, John F. Kennedy Plaza, in Center City Philadelphia, but has been moved across the street to Dilworth Park as the Plaza gears up for an overhaul lasting until spring 2017. The grand redesign plans include adding green space and structural improvements, installing a new water feature, creating concession areas and opening up access to the park.
Gnome statues - Wroclaw, Poland
Wrocław’s most popular and iconic attraction is not a cathedral or a castle, but a legion of little gnomes. These were first installed in 2005 to commemorate the Orange Alternative (Polish anti-communist) movement of the 1980s. As of 2015, there are more than 300 dwarf statues across the city. The first five gnomes were designed by Tomasz Moczek, a graduate of The Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław.
The Motherland Calls - Volgograd, Russia
This statue, entitled 'The Motherland Calls' is dedicated to one of the greatest Russian triumphs of World War II: the Battle of Stalingrad. Designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich and structural engineer Nikolai Nikitin, the statue stands at 170 feet (51.8 meters) tall, raising a sword to the sky that measures another 108 feet (34.8 meters). In 1967, the Soviet government dedicated this monument to the nation. A 2009 BBC report said that the huge statue is in danger of collapsing because of rising water levels, which are causing the foundations of the memorial to subside.
East Side Gallery - Berlin, Germany
The East Side Gallery is the remaining portion of the Berlin Wall, which was torn down by the people of Berlin in September 1989 after the announcement of Germany's reunification. The 1.3 km long wall is a powerful reminder of the nation's past and also the world's longest open air gallery. Over the years, it has been painted by 118 artists from 21 different countries. The painting of former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev kissing his East German counterpart Erich Honecker (pictured), by Dmitri Vrubel, is one of the most visited. Mercedes-Benz Arena, located on the opposite side, has also become a popular venue for music and sporting events.
Federation Bells - Melbourne, Australia
This installation of 39 upturned bells was designed by Anton Hasell and Neil McLachlan in collaboration with Swaney Draper Architects on the occasion of the centenary of Australia’s federation in 2001. It underwent a structural upgrade to ensure the longevity of the poles in 2005. More than 100 compositions have been created for the bells since 2006, all of which can be heard according to an revolving weekly schedule. In April 2012, the new system was launched with live public performances specially composed for the Bells.
Prada Marfa - Valentine, Texas, USA
This replica of a Prada store sits 1.4 miles (2.3 km) northwest of the town of Valentine in Texas, where the median household income is $45,670, the approximate value of 17 Prada bags. Aided by nonprofit organization Art Production Fund and its Texan counterpart, Ballroom Marfa, and installed in 2005, Prada Marfa is considered a pop culture landmark. The room has three rows of right-footed Prada shoes and bags with no bottoms (to discourage theft) on display. Security measures were beefed up after it was vandalized a few times. In 2014, it was announced that the structure would be reclassified as a museum.
Mano del Desierto - Atacama Desert, Chile
This 36 feet (11 meter) tall structure is situated in the scorched landscape of the Atacama Desert along Route 5 of the Pan-American Highway. Built on an iron frame covered with cement, its name translates into "the Hand of the Desert." Unveiled in 1992, it is quite popular with tourists traveling on Chile’s Route 5. Artist Mario Irarrázabal chose to create a human hand as he wanted to express human emotions such as injustice, loneliness, sorrow and torture. It requires regular cleaning as tourists often paint graffiti on it.
Cloud Gate - Chicago, Illinois, USA
A centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park in Chicago, Cloud Gate was created by sculptor Anish Kapoor in 2006. This bean like structure, inspired by liquid mercury, is made of highly polished stainless steel and reflects Chicago's skyline. With a 12-foot high arch, it allows visitors to enter the concave chamber beneath to see their image reflected from various perspectives. It weighs 110 tons and is 66-feet (20 meters) long and 33-feet (10 meters) tall.
Gardens by the Bay - Singapore
Situated near the Marina Reservoir, Gardens by the Bay is a hotspot for tourists in Singapore offering breathtaking views of the waterfront promenade and the city's skyline. It was constructed on a reclaimed land spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) and has three waterfront gardens - Bay South Garden, Bay East Garden and Bay Central Garden. Aiming to be Singapore's primary outdoor recreation, its massive tree-shaped vertical gardens are 9-16 storeys tall, and offers choreographed light and sound shows in the evenings.
Statue of Liberty - New York City, New York, USA
The imposing 151-foot (46 meter) high Statue of Liberty was a gift by the French people to the U.S. to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The copper statue, made by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi in collaboration with Gustave Eiffel (who made the steel framework), stands at the entrance of New York Harbor and has welcomed millions of people entering the U.S. since 1886.
Las Pozas - Xilitla, Mexico
Situated more than 2,000 feet (610 meters) above sea level, this sprawling garden is made in an abandoned, 80-acre coffee plantation by English writer Edward James. It boasts concrete architectural structures, winding pathways, tall columns, spiral staircases and natural waterfalls and pools. Opened to visitors in 1991, the surrealist concrete sculptures have become popular among artists, writers, travelers and photographers alike.
Escadaria Selarón - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The 250 vivid steps of Escadaria Selarón are among the most visited tourist sites in Rio. Chilean-born Brazilian artist Jorge Selarón decided to cover them with colorful mosaic tiles in the early 1990s as a tribute to the people of Brazil, making it a masterpiece of street art. The stairs connect the neighborhoods of Santa Teresa and Lapa.
From: http://www.msn.com/