Big Bad Bird

Copied Robert Willson, Big Bad Bird, 1995, molded glass, 17 x 17 x 7 in. (43.2 x 43.2 x 17.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Margaret Pace Willson, 2001.62

Artwork Details

Title
Big Bad Bird
Artist
Date
1995
Location
Dimensions
17 x 17 x 7 in. (43.2 x 43.2 x 17.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Margaret Pace Willson
Mediums Description
molded glass
Classifications
Keywords
  • Abstract
  • Animal — bird
Object Number
2001.62
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2001.62

Artwork Description

Robert Willson retired from the University of Miami in 1977 and moved back to San Antonio. He continued traveling to Venice during the summers to work in the glass factories of Murano, staying for longer periods of time until 1997, when he moved there permanently. Working with a new group of craftsmen who called themselves Ars Murano, he created large, solid glass sculptures requiring teams of up to ten workers. In Big Bad Bird, Willson’s distinctive stripes of pure color fill the creature’s ominous wings, and its staring red eyes and white beak suggest a fantastic mask. The bird’s looming silhouette evokes a sinister guardian, a figure of protection from whom we must ask permission to pass.