Kentucky Center to Restore Iconic Alexander Calder Sculpture this Summer

The iconic, 11 foot tall, red and black sculpture that adorns the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts front steps, will be taking a summer sabbatical when it is taken away for professional restoration and painting on July 13. It is expected to return on October 12. Known as "The Red Feather," and completed by artist Alexander Calder in 1975, the sculpture has been a symbol of not only the Kentucky Center, but downtown Louisville since its acquisition and installation in 1989.

Although its four profiled planes stand firmly perpendicular to the ground, the illusion of movement is a hallmark in not only "The Red Feather," but most works by Alexander Calder. As one walks around the sculpture, its great wings and half-moon shapes seem to billow and swell, coming in and out of view in unexpected perspectives. The sculpture, a local favorite, was purchased from the Pace Gallery in New York City in 1989 as a gift to the Center from the Mary and Barry Bingham Sr. Fund and the Humana Foundation. The piece is an important part of the Kentucky Center art collection, which also includes sculptures by Joan Miró and Jean Dubuffet.

The sculpture was last painted in 2002, and is in need of a new coat and treatment for mild metal corrosion, particularly in the elements that mount the piece to the ground. A rigging company will disassemble, rig and transport the sculpture to the American Stripping Company (ASCO) in Manassas, Virginia. ASCO, which has extensive experience in treating Calder's sculptures and works regularly with the Calder Foundation, will restore the sculpture over the course of three months.

"The Kentucky Center is fortunate to have such extraordinary pieces of public art for the community to enjoy, and we take the preservation and stewardship of our collection very seriously," said Stephen Klein, President of the Kentucky Center.