The monumental sculpture that has welcomed visitors to University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center for the last year is now part of the hospital system’s permanent fine art collection.
Philanthropist Scott Mueller, a Chagrin Falls resident who’s CEO of Cleveland-based Dealer Tire, purchased and donated the piece, “Untitled (Black Diamond),” which was commissioned as part of the 2018 edition of FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art and completed by Brooklyn, N.Y.-based artist Virginia Overton.
“We are so thrilled, honored and appreciative to be the recipient of this very generous gift from Scott Mueller. The sculpture is gifted in honor of the nurses at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s and MacDonald Women’s hospitals. Scott’s gift of art will be enjoyed by countless patients, visitors, staff and the public for years to come,” said Thomas Huck, UH’s Art Collection Curator, in a news release.
The FRONT International’s 2018 theme, “An American City,” inspired Overton to pay tribute to Cleveland’s rich industrial history. The black linear work comprised of intersecting wooden beams joined with heavy industrial steel brackets and anchor cables are assembled into an orderly, large-scale geometric diamond shape. The sculpture is located near the front-lawn entrance of UH Cleveland Medical Center in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood.
Mueller is a board member of FRONT International, and UH was a lead sponsor of the exhibit. The purchase price was not disclosed. CV
