“Tree & Three Flowers” by James Surls, Kirby Drive, Houston, Texas
Have you wondered about the monumental floral sculpture that went up in April on the 2700 block of Kirby Drive in Houston?
The 38-feet high sculpture is “Tree & Three Flowers” by the legendary James Surls. The artwork, like examples that can be found on Park Avenue in Manhattan or Sunset Boulevard in LA, is bronze and stainless-steel and was commissioned by the Upper Kirby District. The $850,000 price tag, which includes the cost of installation, was paid for partially by funds raised by UK and by the City of Houston’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone fund. And this public work is not tucked quietly in a park, rather it is centered smack dab in a narrow boulevard for all to see. It is estimated that 50,000 cars a day pass it by.
James Surls, born in 1943, is a modernist known for his large sculptures. A Texan by birth, the time he spent in Houston influenced the art scene greatly as a professor at University of Houston and as a founder of Lawndale Art Center. Surls now resides in Colorado.
“Tree & Three Flowers” adhere to the artist’s lifelong celebration of nature’s feminine side. He has likened the bronze vase shaped base to a tall female figure.
The sculpture was commissioned to increase tourism and awareness for the Upper Kirby District.
I pass it every day. Frankly, I’m not sure what to think of it. I have seen other works by Surls that seem much more fluid, organic, and interesting–like the Surls sculpture in Market Square. I put the question out on social media and got a very poor response; I guess there aren’t many people who know how they feel. Perhaps those who don’t like it are afraid to voice an opinion for risk of looking unsophisticated or unworldly.
My favorite thing about it is how expensive it was; it’s a very public status ornament.