City Hall Interior Bas-Reliefs
Collection: General Services Department (GSD)
1939
Aluminum
Location:
City Hall Interior Bas Reliefs by Coe Herring
901 Bagby Street
2nd and 3rd Floor
Houston, TX 77002
About the Artwork:
City Hall Interior Bas-Relief (1939)
by Matchett Herring Coe
Throughout Houston’s City Hall built during 1938 and 1939, are various artworks, including 24 of these aluminum metal reliefs screwed onto doors, such as those to Council Chambers, the Mayor’s Office, and the lobby. The reliefs, when a sculpture is an image that rises slightly from its background of the same material, were made by Matchett Herring Coe, born in Loeb (now Lumberton), TX in 1907 and whose works are also at Rice University and Houston Zoo. Each piece was cast by John Harsch Bronze and Foundry Co. in Cleveland, Ohio. The relief shows a man rising from clouds or an ocean while he rests one of his arms, either his right or left arm depending on the door that mirrors the image, on either books, buildings, or a rock. An eagle is perched on his bicep. The man and the eagle look in the same direction as his other arm seems to be ready to part the clouds or sea, perhaps preparing visitors about to open the doors for an adventure. This piece is in the art deco-style, an aesthetic from the 1910s recognized for its sleek geometric forms that give feelings of luxury and glamor to inspire faith in social and technological progress.
Bajorrelieve del interior del Ayuntamiento (1939)
por Matchett Herring Coe
City Hall Interior Bas-Relief (1939)
by Matchett Herring Coe
Throughout Houston’s City Hall built during 1938 and 1939, are various artworks, including 24 of these aluminum metal reliefs screwed onto doors, such as those to Council Chambers, the Mayor’s Office, and the lobby. The reliefs, when a sculpture is an image that rises slightly from its background of the same material, were made by Matchett Herring Coe, born in Loeb (now Lumberton), TX in 1907 and whose works are also at Rice University and Houston Zoo. Each piece was cast by John Harsch Bronze and Foundry Co. in Cleveland, Ohio. The relief shows a man rising from clouds or an ocean while he rests one of his arms, either his right or left arm depending on the door that mirrors the image, on either books, buildings, or a rock. An eagle is perched on his bicep. The man and the eagle look in the same direction as his other arm seems to be ready to part the clouds or sea, perhaps preparing visitors about to open the doors for an adventure. This piece is in the art deco-style, an aesthetic from the 1910s recognized for its sleek geometric forms that give feelings of luxury and glamor to inspire faith in social and technological progress.
Bajorrelieve del interior del Ayuntamiento (1939)
por Matchett Herring Coe
En todo el edificio del Ayuntamiento de Houston, construido entre 1938 y 1939, se pueden encontrar diversas obras de arte, incluyendo 24 de estos relieves de metal de aluminio atornillados a las puertas, como las de la Sala del Consejo, la Oficina del Alcalde, y el vestíbulo. Los relieves, que consisten en una escultura que sobresale ligeramente de su fondo del mismo material, fueron realizados por Matchett Herring Coe, nacido en Loeb (actualmente Lumberton), Texas, en 1907, y cuyas obras también se encuentran en la Universidad Rice y en el Zoológico de Houston. Cada obra fue fundida por John Harsch Bronze and Foundry Co. en Cleveland, Ohio. El relieve muestra a un hombre emergiendo de las nubes o el océano, mientras que tiene uno de sus brazos, ya sea el derecho o el izquierdo, dependiendo de la puerta que refleja la imagen, sobre libros, edificios, o una piedra. Un águila se posa sobre su bíceps. El hombre y el águila miran en la misma dirección, mientras que su otro brazo parece estar listo para apartar las nubes o el mar, quizás preparando a los visitantes que están a punto de abrir las puertas a una aventura. Esta obra es de estilo art déco, una estética de la década de 1910 reconocida por sus elegantes formas geométricas que transmiten sensaciones de lujo y glamour e inspiran confianza en el progreso social y tecnológico.