Internationally renowned contemporary artist and filmmaker Philip Haas will display his acclaimed Four Seasons installation Nov. 16, to Apr. 6, 2015 in the Pinecrest Gardens’ lush botanical sanctuary.
Consisting of four 15-foot-tall busts, Haas’ Four Seasons bring 16th Century Renaissance portraiture by Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo into modern times through a transformation of scale, material and dimensionality. Each work represents an individual season and is distinctly unusual and extravagant. The sculptures are made of pigmented and painted fiberglass, supported by interior steel frames.
The connection between Haas’ Four Seasons exhibit at the historically designated Pinecrest Gardens and the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables (HPACG) is a timely one. The “four seasons” theme is legendary to the founding of Coral Gables and reflected in the artistry of many Coral Gables landmarks such as the City Hall dome murals, the relief panels on the De Soto fountain, and on the White Way Lights — where the design of the lamp bases represent the Four Seasons/Ages theme and depict labor, architecture, horticulture, and art.
HPACG is working with Pinecrest Gardens and the City of Coral Gables officials to bring attention to the condition and need for maintenance, restoration and preservation of the nearly 70 remaining historic street lights in the Riviera Section.
The White Way Lights, designed in the early 1920s by Coral Gables artist Denman Fink — who was named “Artistic Advisor” to the city by his nephew George Merrick — were designated as a City Historic Landmark Site in 1981 and included on the City Historic Landmark Inventory.
The Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 1991. The mission of the organization is to support an environment in which its members and all community citizens can understand, appreciate, exchange information and live with Coral Gables history. The organization promotes the understanding of the importance of historic resources and their preservation. Visit www.historiccoralgables.org.
Pinecrest Gardens is a place to experience cultural enrichment in a panoramic setting and to learn about history and environment. The site was designated as an individual historic site pursuant to the Metropolitan Dade County Historic Preservation Ordinance on Dec. 19, 1990 and on Oct. 17, 2011 the National Park Service announced the addition of Pinecrest Gardens to the National Register of Historic Places. Visit www.pinecrestgardens.org.
