Peter Shire, Murano, 2009

Santa Monica Boulevard traffic median at Palm Avenue

About the artwork: Shire does not reject the rich heritage of twentieth century art, and references to Bauhaus, Futurism, Art Nouveau or Art Deco are to be ground throughout his work. However, his art dismisses a facile linear trajectory and replaces nostalgic connotations with eclectic playfulness and subtle irony. One of the original members of the Milan-based Memphis group, Shire has challenged the rigidity of modernist vocabulary and has boldly articulated a novel languages defined by an unexpected visual dialogue between forms and surfaces and between technology and aesthetics. It is precisely this aspect of his art that has established him as one of the essential contributors to the postmodern critical debate.

About the Artist: Peter Shire is well known for his ceramic teapots and whimsical, geometric sculptures. He has worked in craft, fine art, industrial design, architecture, furniture, ceramics, and fashion. His work is in many museum collections throughout the United States and abroad, including LACMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Shire has taught art and design courses at a number of Los Angeles’s art and architecture schools. His public sculptures can be found in Los Angeles at Elysian Park, the Academy Village Housing Project in North Hollywood, at the Ramada Plaza in West Hollywood and in Phoenix and Las Vegas.

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For questions, contact Marcus Mitchell, Public Art Administrator at (323) 848-3122 or mmitchell@weho.org. For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, please call, TTY: (323) 848-6496. To learn more information about the City of West Hollywood and its arts programs visit www.weho.org/arts.