San Francisco General Hospital
1001 Potrero Avenue
Potrero Hill
The plaque that accompanies these pieces reads: San Francisco General Hospital is known as the “heart of the city” and the phrase inspired this series of sculptures. Mother with Children in the entry pavilion and the smaller Hearts figures sited along the walkway celebrate the crucial role the hospital plays in preserving and maintaining the community’s health and well-being
The pieces were all created by sculptor Tom Otterness who was born 1952 in Wichita, Kansas. He is a prolific public art sculptor who has been creating whimsical satirical pieces since the 1970s.
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Otterness employs the “lost wax” process to cast his bronze figures, which range from monumental to palm-sized. About his sculptures, the artist says, “I try to make work that speaks a common language that people understand, a visual language that doesn’t intimidate them.”
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The sculptures are part of the San Francisco Art Commission Collection and cost $700,000. Otterness has other pieces on a building in the Union Square area that you can see here.
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