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Reverent Grove by Ned Smyth
Photo CreditMcKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, Inc.
Reverent Grove
Photo CreditMcKay Lodge Conservation Laboratory, Inc.

Reverent Grove

Artist
Year1978
Classification sculpture
Medium cast concrete, steel rebar with stone and glass tile
DimensionsSculpture elements: 139 × 119 1/2 × 111 1/4 in. (11.58 × 9.96 × 9.27 ft.)
Other (Stone Tesserae): 1 × 1 cm (3/8 × 3/8 in.)
Other (Water Reservoir): 102 1/4 × 62 1/2 × 62 3/4 in. (8.52 × 5.21 × 5.23 ft.)
Other (Glass tesserae): 1.3 × 2.5 cm (1/2 × 1 in.)
Credits Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Location
  • This fountain sculpture of five stylized palm trees in a circular pool, is fabricated of cast concrete and mosaic venetian glass.  The central box functions as the source which pours water into the main pool.  "Reverent Grove" shows Smyth's initial use of the palm leaf motif to represent rebirth and regeneration and water as a cleansing element.  The colors he employed allude to nature:  green for the tree tops and blue for the sky and the azure sea.  The artwork and the quiet sound of falling water create a magnetic yet tranquil focus for the courtyard, an escape from the intense tropical sun.