Sprite by Ianelli & Lloyd Wright in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 2010

Title: Sprite

Artist: Frank Lloyd Wright (American, Richland Center, Wisconsin 1867–1959 Phoenix, Arizona)

Artist: Alfonso Iannelli (American, Andretta, Italy 1888–1965 Chicago)

Date: ca. 1914

Geography: Made in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Culture: American

Medium: Painted cement

Dimensions: 65 x 14 x 12 in. (165.1 x 35.6 x 30.5 cm)

Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John T. Steele, 1979

Object Number: 1979.304

"Sprite" was originally part of a large sculpture program for Wright’s Midway Gardens in Chicago. Built for Edward C. Waller Jr. and Oscar Friedman in 1914, the complex was designed as an entertainment center. Interior and exterior areas provided for dining, dancing, and concerts, but the complex declined into a common beer garden within two years of its opening. With the advent of Prohibition in 1920, it was converted for other uses; in 1929, it was demolished. Iannelli was noted for his poster designs as well as for his architectural and decorative sculpture. Strongly tectonic, the figure is composed of motifs commonly found in Wright's architectural ornament. The faceting of the face is closely tied to Cubism, a movement that had gained international influence by 1914.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11204