Maquette for Richard J. Daley Center Sculpture

Chicago’s collection of public art was initiated on August 15, 1967, when Mayor Richard J. Daley dedicated an untitled sculpture commonly known as "The Picasso" in Chicago’s new Civic Center (now the Richard J. Daley Center). Just four years earlier, architect William Hartmann of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill had approached Pablo Picasso with the commission. The artist accepted and crafted two steel maquettes; he kept one in his studio and gave the other to the architect to use in planning. The sculpture’s presence inspired private and public investment in more works for the cityscape over the years, including recent additions in nearby Millennium Park.