It is 5'0" tall, 5'9" wide, 3'3" thick, and weighs about 400 lbs.
HEARTS IN SAN FRANCISCO (www.heartsinsf.com) is a project which placed 130 heart sculptures around the city in 2004. Each heart was transformed by an artist into a unique work of art. Proceeds from corporate sponsorships, and from eventual auction of the hearts, went to benefit the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation.
Mr. Adrian's heart:
It is 5'0" tall, 5'9" wide, 3'3" thick, and weighs about 400 lbs.
A major inspiration for this heart lies literally inside the artist's collection of vintage cigar boxes. Open the lid of one of these musty old containers, and a magical world shines out, undimmed by time. Embossed gilt medals gleam anew. Virgins in full color (and partial dress) present lush tobacco leaves. Heroic unicorns defend the glowing coats-of-arms of now-defunct manufacturers, amid banners which proclaim "Vuelta Abajo" and "World's Finest".
This heart was painted in the maximal spirit of these full-bodied, big hearted tableaux. It features four foot wide roses that would make Georgia O'Keefe blush, presented on a background of shimmering Barbara Cartland pink.
May this heart also serve, incidentally, as a counterblast to our glut of hemigluteal conceptual art, the whole arid minimalist canon, and the (yawn) Helvetica-inspired bottom-line aesthetic of today's corporate logos.
Ready for launch:
The destination for this heart was at the main entrance to Dolores Park. A beautiful picture at this site can be found in the commemorative book "Hearts in San Francisco". Copies of this limited edition book can be purchased by phone from the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation at 415.206.5930 for $45 plus tax and shipping.
The heart went for a time to SBC Park, to boost interest in the heart auction. (At Giants' prices, the crowd is pretty affluent.)
These pictures were taken after the heart had endured a couple of spraypaint "taggings", and several months outdoors. Its finish still looks like porcelain.
And adamantine -- you could run this baby through the car wash.
The heart had come home, in a sense. Adrian Studios, where its paint techniques were perfected, used to be 20' above what is now first base at SBC Park.
