Pogue sculpture headed to Bella Vista
Marilyn Monroe is coming to Bella Vista. A 7-foot-tall steel sculpture, named for the actressmodel-singer, has been offered to the city.
Larry Pogue, the St. Louis-based artist who built the sculpture, said the swooping, curved steel forms an abstract piece, but he’s purposefully included symbols related to its namesake.
“The title is Marilyn Monroe, I’ve always loved Marilyn Monroe,” he said. “Marilyn Monroe is a piece I did years ago, I don’t know how many years ago.”
The ring on the left-hand side of the sculpture is a nod to Monroe’s four marriages, he explained, while the interlocking moon and sun crowning it represent the late actress’ habit of reading her horoscope before getting out of bed.
The up-turned curve on the right-hand side is a nod to her hairstyle, Pogue said.
The piece is burnished, he explained, with a 36-grit buffer that leaves marks in all different directions.
“That’s kind of a signature of my work, the way I finish my piece,” Pogue said. “It’s a serious piece … I’m anxious to see it on-location.”
Pogue said he’s donated several pieces and several hospitals in St Louis have his sculptures onsite, including St. Clair Hospital, which hosts a 17-foot-tall kinetic piece called Trinity.
He studied at Kansas State College in Pittsburgh in 1965 after a couple years in the U.S. Navy and graduated with his master’s degree in 1968, he explained.
Pogue said he initially went to study architecture but ended up studying sculpture and went on to teach for 28 years at East Central College in Missouri.
At this point in his life, Pogue said he wants his art to be visible.
“It’s the autumn of my life,” he said. “Art has been so good to me that I want to share it with as many as I can.”
Pogue said he likes abstract art because it sparks the imagination. Schools tend to push back against imaginative thinking, he said, but daydreaming is where ideas come from and seeing something interesting can kickstart the imagination.
“If a person comes up, and every person sees something different, then I’ve caught a piece of their imagination,” he said.
The artist said he grew up in Anderson, Mo., and came down to Bentonville on occasion — often to use the city’s excellent swimming pool — and he was pleasantly surprised to see Northwest Arkansas more recently.
He toured Crystal Bridges and, as a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, Pogue said he was astounded.
“I appreciate the opportunity to have one of my pieces in Arkansas,” he said.
For placement, Pogue said he
may come down and scout out a location or he may rely on photos from Bella Vista Arts Council member Terry Wilson.
Wilson said he’s excited about the donation.
“This is a pretty big donation,” he said. “It’s kind of dandy.”
Right now, the council is waiting for a base to be installed before the piece can be transported. It’s currently unknown if the piece needs to be moved with outside help or if someone can simply haul it in the bed of a pickup.
The base is expected to be finished this week.
The location is a challenge, he said. Initially, he considered Blowing Springs but thought it should be on city property, and he’s concerned that Blowing Springs is too secluded, meaning the piece may get damaged or stolen.
City Hall seems like a good candidate, he said.
While the piece may be in town soon, Wilson explained the conversation started in July when he spoke to Jim Tandy, a friend of Pogue.
“It took us this long to make it happen,” Wilson said.