Change of Scenery : Beaches: Brushing aside protests of those who favor open vistas, the Coastal Commission approves Santa Monica’s plan to place more artworks along the shore.
The last thing John Farquhar wants to see between him and the sunset is a 14-foot-tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
And his grandfather, Sen. John P. Jones, who donated the land for Pacific Palisades Park to Santa Monica to preserve its glorious views, would agree, Farquhar told the California Coastal Commission on Thursday.
But Farquhar’s plea for the unadorned vistas of days gone by fell on deaf ears as the commission voted 9 to 0 in favor of a much-disputed public art plan for Santa Monica’s coastline.
“This is a perfect wedding of nature and art,†said public-art supporter Nieta Fleisher, a Santa Monica resident.
Farquhar disagreed: “My grandfather loved to watch the sunset†and would have wanted it kept uncluttered, he said.
The approval of the long-range plan included the go-ahead for three controversial artworks for the beach area, including the Gandhi statue called “Avatar.â€
Calling the statue political correctness gone awry, W.G. Wells, president of the Miramar Sheraton Hotel across the street from the park, said in a letter that proponents “will turn Palisades Park into a dumping ground for the grotesque.â€
The other approved artworks are “Twilight and Yearning,†consisting of four fishing boat hulls strapped to the pilings beneath Santa Monica Pier, and “Solar Web,†a giant spider-web-like metal contraption that will rest in the middle of the beach.
In all, 16 new artworks are planned in the coastal zone, eight of them on the beach. Other sculptures include the existing “Singing Beach Chairs,†to be displayed at the back of the beach north of Pico Boulevard.
The vote by the commission settled a longstanding feud over public art on and around Santa Monica’s beaches.
Leading the charge for the public art forces was artist and Santa Monica Arts Commissioner Bruria Finkel. It was her idea a decade or so ago to have a Natural Elements Sculpture Park, nicknamed NES Park, on the sand. Claiming victory on behalf of the people of Santa Monica, Finkel predicted that naysayers will learn to love the art they so disdain now.
Finkel’s foe is Santa Monica Historical Society President Louise Gabriel. Gabriel and her supporters believe that art belongs in museums and should not be foisted on the public. After the vote, Gabriel said the people of Santa Monica are the losers.
“It’s outrageous,†said Gabriel, who has lived in Santa Monica for 48 years.
Finkel says the sculpture garden complements nature and encourages public interaction with art. A trip to the beach “is not just sand in your sandwich,†she said.
Gabriel and her supporters are equally vehement in maintaining that the beach’s natural beauty is best left unadorned. Works of art “distract from the magnificent scenic view of Santa Monica Bay,†Gabriel said.
The Santa Monica City Council sided last year with Finkel, voting 6 to 1 for the comprehensive plan. Any additional artworks must go through a lengthy screening process and, while approving the plan in scope and concept, the Coastal Commission retained jurisdiction over each artwork beyond the three specified in the plan.
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