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This is a contributing entry for Outdoor Sculptures on the UCSB Campus and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.

Fletcher Benton's Folded Circle T and Arc, 2012

Introduction

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Standing just outside the AD&A Museum, this abstract sculpture by Fletcher Benton titled: Folded Circle T and Arc, created in 2012 forms interesting shapes out of Cort-Ten weathering steel that casts a harsh contrast to the green grass surrounding it. Gifted by Dr. Yoel Haller and Eva Haller, a married couple with Mrs. Haller a philanthropist and Trustee of the University of California Santa Barbara, it fits within the sculptural landscape of campus with its modern and industrial character. Be sure to walk around this sculpture and find different angles, there is no one way to view this piece of art!

Images

Sky, Property, Plant, Cloud

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Fletcher Benton was born in 1931 in Jackson, Ohio and received his B.F.A from Miami University in Oxford, built his art career in San Francisco where he died in 2019. Famous for his large bronze or steel sculptures, Benton creates sculptures of all sizes, focusing on geometric shapes and patterns. He began his artistic career in painting, as a sign artist and expressionist painter in the 1960’s. Like other artists of his time, he wanted to expand from the 2D mediums into kinetic sculpture, and by the 1970’s he shifted to focus solely on stationary sculpture out of bronze and steel. One of his most famous series was titled Alphabet Series in the 1970’s deconstructing and abstracting letters of the alphabet in a wide variety of colors. His works have been characterized as “gravity-defying” and are meant to be viewed from all angles.

Sources

Benton, Fletcher . Biography , Fletcher Benton. Accessed February 16th 2021. https://www.fletcherbenton.com/our-mission-and-goals.

Fletcher Benton, Artnet. Accessed February 16th 2021. http://www.artnet.com/artists/fletcher-benton/.

Fletcher Benton, Public Art Foundation Greater Des Moines . Accessed February 16th 2021. https://dsmpublicartfoundation.org/artist/fletcher-benton/.

Additional Information