Art Academy lawn sculptures shipped off
By Adrienne Ancheta
Advertiser Staff Writer
Three painted monoliths fronting the Honolulu Academy of Arts have been reduced to one.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Two of the sculptures, part of an 11-week exhibit that began May 8, were removed from the academy's lawn yesterday to be shipped to Nebraska, where their creator, Jun Kaneko, lives.
One of artist Jun Kaneko's sculptures will remain on the front lawn of the Honolulu Academy of Arts until it is moved by a local collector who purchased the work. With the exhibition over, two of Kaneko's sculptures are being shipped to the Mainland.
Kaneko's three-piece exhibit was part of a series celebrating the opening of the academy's new wing.
Three other sculptures in the courtyard also were removed yesterday.
The exhibition officially ended July 22, but yesterday was the earliest day the academy could receive a permit to close part of Beretania Street so a boom truck could remove the large sculptures. The remaining sculpture on the lawn was purchased directly from Kaneko by a local collector and will be picked up at a later date, according to academy director George Ellis.
Ellis first asked Kaneko to display his pieces at the academy more than two years ago after seeing examples of Kaneko's artwork outside Waikiki Aquarium.
Ellis said he realizes that some people may miss the painted monoliths because they were a fixture on the front lawn for months, but a quick fix is just steps away. Four sculptures in the building's new wing were purchased from the artist and added to the academy's permanent display.
"They don't have to be too sad — just go inside," he said.
