Snowplow (di Suvero) - Historical Information

Historical Information

In the late 1960s and 1970s, di Suvero began working in a truly monumental scale, using I-beams as a consistent aesthetic and structural element in his work, as displayed in Snowplow. He drew upon the dynamism of an urban environment for inspiration, as opposed to many Minimalists of the time whose artwork reflected the alienation of modern cities and machinery. Di Suvero believed art to be an integral part of city life, considering both the artwork's surroundings and the viewer’s experience as contributing to the artwork; thus, he created many of his artworks to have parts that could swing or rotate in the wind in order to enhance the interactive aspect.

Based on di Suvero's prominence at the time, the Indianapolis Sesquicentennial Commission sought to acquire a work by the artist to celebrate Indianapolis' 150th birthday in 1971. Upon the selection of Snowplow, $20,000 of funding was obtained from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Art in Public Places program. The Commission raised further funds by selling sesquicentennial medallions and cookbooks, finishing the fundraising in 1975 to purchase the artwork for $42,600. For much of that year the artwork was on loan to the Whitney Museum of American Art, finally arriving in Indianapolis in the fall of 1976.