The Art of the French Hospital

 Posted by on September 20, 2018
Sep 202018
 

Kaiser Permanente
French Campus
4131 Geary Boulevard
Inner Richmond

Mosaic at the French Hospital in San Francisco

This stunning mosaic sits in the front entry way to 4131 Geary, which is a building tucked behind the main hospital wing.  It is presently half covered by an extremely large concrete pot.

It was donated by the woman’s auxilary in memory of Dorothy Hagar Rogers, who was a prominent woman in the city of San Francisco known for her charitable works.  She organized the Auxiliary for the French Hospital and earned the Woman of Distinction spot in the City and County Record  in August of 1955.

Louis Pasteur at Kaiser French Campus San Francisco

This  bronze bust of Louis Pasteur that sits in the front of the building was designed by Harriet G. Moore and cast in 1984 by Artworks Foundry of Berkeley.

Moore was born in New York City in 1920. As a child, she was strongly encouraged to pursue her interest in sculpting and attended private progressive schools with a heavy emphasis on the arts. From 1938 to 1942, she attended Bennington College in Vermont, majoring in sculpture.

She spent a nonresident junior year in Mexico City, studying stone carving with Luis Ortiz Monasterio. After graduating from Bennington, she studied modeling the figure and portrait with Jose de Creft at the Art Students League in New York City.

In 1976, she moved to San Francisco and retired due to health reasons in 2010.

Louis Pasteur by Harriet G. Moore

The third piece of art at 4131 Geary is a lovely mural in the lobby.

Kaiser French Campus Artwork

The artists of both the mosaic and the mural have been lost to time.

 

Sprinter at the Koret

 Posted by on February 2, 2015
Feb 022015
 
Sprinter at the Koret

Koret Health and Recreation Center 2130 Fulton Street Inner Richmond This bronze sculpture sits directly to the right of the entry door to the University of San Francisco’s, Koret Health and Recreation Center. It is an 8′ tall bronze by Edith Peres-Lethmate. According to the Smithsonian the sculpture is a large-scale version of a sculpture executed in 1976. The sculpture was commissioned by the University and was funded by the university’s Class of 1986. According to the Koret blog ““Sprinter,” was originally created on a smaller scale in celebration of the 1984 Olympic games.” Edith Peres-Lethmate was born 1927 in Koblentz Continue Reading

Los Lobos de Loyola

 Posted by on December 10, 2014
Dec 102014
 
Los Lobos de Loyola

University of San Francisco Fulton Street In Front of Gleeson Library/Geshke Center Inner Richmond Commissioned by USF this piece was installed November of 2011. The 2-ton work, Los Lobos de Loyola, depicts the wolves and stewpot from the family coat of arms of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. Some say the 15th-century image is a pun on the Loyola family name (“lobos y olla,” wolves and a stewpot); others suggest the pot is a symbol of hospitality and the wolves point to the family’s reputation as warriors. Crafted by Pancho Cardenas, the eight-foot high by sixteen foot long Continue Reading

BE BOLD For What You Stand For

 Posted by on September 23, 2013
Sep 232013
 
BE BOLD For What You Stand For

Historic Odd Fellows Columbarium 1 Loraine Court Inner Richmond During the closure of SFMOMA the museum is placing art around San Francisco.  This Exhibition is part of an overall group.  The museum commissioned the four award winners of the 2012 SECA Art Award to create work outside the traditional gallery context. These three pieces are by Josh Faught and are hanging around the Neptune Society / Historic Odd Fellows Columbarium. According to an article by Kenneth Baker the San Francisco Chronicle’s art critic: “Partly because its restoration so nearly coincided with the early years of the AIDS crisis, the Columbarium Continue Reading

Historic Odd Fellows Columbarium

 Posted by on September 19, 2013
Sep 192013
 
Historic Odd Fellows Columbarium

1 Loraine Court Inner Richmond I recently attended a service at this columbarium for Alice Carey.  Alice was a friend and one of America’s most respected historic architects. On the cover of her memorial brochure was this photograph: I knew it was time for me to explore the history of the columbarium and bring it to you. The Columbarium is the only non-denominational burial place within San Francisco’s city limits that is open to the public and has space available. The crematorium was  designed by British Architect Bernard J.S. Cahill in 1897.  As you can see by the above photograph this Continue Reading

Incomplete Metamorphosis

 Posted by on April 25, 2013
Apr 252013
 
Incomplete Metamorphosis

Argonne Park 18th Avenue between Geary and Anza Inner Richmond * Artist Joyce Hsu combines her personal memories of summer adventures with a complex skeletal structure similar to an airplane to create two unique artworks for Argonne Playground. These two sculptures, Firefly and Dragonfly each grace one of the two entrances to the park. Hsu explains that the title, “Incomplete Metamorphosis” is a scientific term describing a particular type of life cycle of insects. Hsu has adopted the term, but not its specific meaning. She has created her own meaning, seeing in the term a way to describe her insect Continue Reading

Art at the Richmond District Library

 Posted by on November 23, 2012
Nov 232012
 
Art at the Richmond District Library

351 9th Avenue SF Public Library Inner Richmond  * According to Scott Donahue’s website “these sculptures were designed to integrate into the very symmetrical renovate library landscape and building.  Each dome is a relief sculpture map.  On is the entire Bay Area and portrays a time in history from 15000 years ago to 100 years ago.  The other is a close0yo view of San Francisco and the Richmond District from today.  The interpretation exaggerates certain features like the mountains and hills and there are little reliefs and images depicting how virtually everyone arrived, or their relatives arrived, to be looking Continue Reading

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