| The Phoenix | |
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 The Phoenix in the 1960s |
The Phoenix is a 1962 mixed-media mural by French artist Paul Coze on display in the Phoenix airport. The work consists of three panels and measures 75 ft wide by 16 ft tall. The work was completed and installed in Terminal 2 of Sky Harbor Airport in 1962. It is believed to be the first artwork commissioned by the city of Phoenix chosen by a public process.[1]
In 2021 it was relocated to the Rental Car Center in the airport where it is viewed by an estimated 2 million people each year.[2]
History edit
In the early 1960s the City of Phoenix determined it wanted to commission a three-panel mural for the newly built Terminal 2 at Sky Harbor Airport. The city asked local artists to submit their designs for a three-panel mural depicting "the renaissance," "the air age," and "the space age" to highlight different eras of the city of Phoenix. Designs of five different arts were put on display at the Phoenix Public Library and Phoenix residents were invited to view the designs and vote for their favorite.[1] The designs were narrowed down to that of three artists: Jay Datus, Clinton Hill, and Paul Coze and were put to the Phoenix City Council for a vote. In March 1961 the Phoenix City Council voted 5-1 in favor of Coze's design. Among those who voted in favor of Coze's design was councilman Thomas Tang who said that he felt that Coze's mural would bring a new message to the viewer each time they looked at it.[3]
Coze was paid $10,000 for the commission. He worked on the piece primarily in his own home with the assistance of his art students and his wife Kay.
Coze utilized 52 materials in the mural. He gathered sand from different parts of the state, from the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona to Tucson in the south.
The painting was installed in the Phoenix airport in 1962.[4][1] As airport security increased, new security equipment was added to the airport that blocked view of the mural. By 2007 the mural was mostly covered by airport security scanners.[5]
Relocation to Rental Car Center edit
Terminal 2 closed in 2020. In 2021 it was relocated to the Rental Car Center following the closure of Terminal 2.[6]
Overview edit
The mural is a mixed media three-dimensional work made of 52 materials including glass, obsidian rocks, gemstones, tiles, sand from the Hopi and Navajo reservations.[7]
The mural consists of three panels.[8]
The left-most panel is called "The Earth". The center panel is called "Water and Fire". The right panel is called "The Air".[9]
Left panel- "The Earth" edit
The left panel pays tribute to the Hohokam, the ancient desert inhabitants of Arizona, as well as the contemporary Arizona tribes, the Latino community of Arizona, the LDS "Mormon Battalion," and the Southern Pacific Railroad.[9]
Center panel- "Water and Fire" edit
The central panel features the iconic Phoenix bird from Greek mythology, soaring above a desert date tree while enveloped by clouds that are showering into Roosevelt Lake, the inaugural water project initiated under the National Reclamation Act of 1902.[9]
The phoenix has 365 feathers.
Right panel- "The Air" edit
The third panel, titled "The Air," serves as an optimistic homage to Arizona's forthcoming prospects. It depicts hands outstretched towards a sky adorned with modernist representations of ranching, mining, and agriculture, symbolizing the state's potential for the future.[9]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Famed Airport Mural Officially Displayed in New Home". phx.gov. City of Phoenix.
- ^ Estes, Christina (26 October 2021). "'The Phoenix' mural lands at Sky Harbor Airport Rental Car Center". KJZZ.
- ^ "Coze to Decorate New Sky Harbor Walls". Arizona Public. 15 March 1961.
- ^ Austin, Noah. "The Phoenix". Arizona Highways.
- ^ Weber, Nan (2011). Singing in the Saddle. Xlibri US. ISBN 9781462857050.
- ^ Yeager, Melissa (22 October 2021). "This iconic mural formerly at Sky Harbor Airport is now in its new home. Here's how to see it". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ Yeagar, Melissa (13 December 2019). "The historic mural in Sky Harbor Airport's Terminal 2 is moving. Here's why and what's next". Arizona Republic.
- ^ Nigg, Joseph (2016). The Phoenix An Unnatural Biography of a Mythical Beast. University of Chicago Press. p. 388. ISBN 9780226195520.
- ^ a b c d Perla, Robert L (14 November 2013). "Vintage Phoenix Memory: From the Ashes". Phoenix New Times.