Artwork Detail

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The Spirit is Like the Wind, Light Sconces

Artist: Grochowski, Norman

Object Date: 2012

Medium: Painted steel with inset ceramic; Steel with dyed cast cement, tile, and light fixtures

Imperial Dims: Overall: 288 x 240 x 168 in.

County Department: Public Library

Address Name: Topanga Library

Supervisorial District: 3

About the Artwork:

The title of Norman Grochowski’s The Spirit is Like the Wind comes from the mantra that has defined the artist’s professional career: “The spirit is like the wind, you hear it blowing, but you cannot say from where it comes or where it will go.” Grochowski’s three monumental, painted steel flowers, whose petals are open books, and two larger than life dragonflies greet visitors of the library on the outdoor terrace. With the tallest measuring more than 15 feet high, the flowers, a hefty 350-400 pounds each, are constructed of steel with inlaid pieces of broken ceramic tile. The two dragonflies, each weighing 300 pounds, have wings made of broken chinaware. The artwork was conserved in 2015. Six light sconces shaped like creatures found in Topanga Canyon - beetles, turtles and dragonflies - are located along the interior walls of the building.

About the Artist:

Artist and general contractor Norman Grochowski lived in Topanga Canyon for fifteen years before moving to Crescent City, CA.  He has undertaken numerous private art commissions and has had his work featured at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Laguna Art Museum, as well as in Sunset Magazine, Architectural Digest, and the LA Weekly.  His various sculptural works for the Topanga Library, including six light sconces and a monumental steel sculpture of flowers and dragonflies, are inspired by the natural beauty of Topanga Canyon. Other works by Grochowski, a member of the International Sculpture Center, are in notable collections across the country such as the Eli Broad Collection, Whitney Museum of American Art, High Art Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art. To learn more visit: normangrochowski.com