The giant blue ursine peering into the Colorado Convention Center is not alone in this world. The creator of the 40-foot-tall sculpture, Lawrence Argent, is pretty prolific in the world of giant public art.
Here's one of his works at Sacramento International Airport, titled "Leap," aka a 10,000 pound bunny:
We've got more of his work, including his biggest yet, right here.
Argent teaches at the University of Denver's School of Art and Art History. He created the blue bear at the convention center – titled "I See What You Mean" in 2005, and it became an instant icon. (4.5 stars on Yelp!)
Here's another of his bears, titled "I Am Here" and currently residing (or rather, climbing) outside the International Financial Square in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China:
His newest project, stationed in San Francisco's SoMa, was unveiled last week. Titled Venus its stainless steel form reaches 92 feet high. It was fabricated in China, shipped to the U.S. in 70 pieces and assembled by artisans, according to DU. The total project – including 18 art elements in all, such as carved blocks in the plaza – cost $5 million.
Here it is under construction:
And the finished product:
Check out the rest of Argent's public art — including a fuchsia bear on a cruise ship — at his portfolio website.
Update: This story was updated on June 21 to clarify the cost of the San Francisco project.
