Dueling Pendants

For the U.S. Courthouse in San Antonio, artist Thomas Glassford created two suspended sculptures in bronze and glass that abstractly reference the scales of justice.  The two artworks are positioned so that they can be seen simultaneously from different vantage points within the building.  The exterior bronze sculpture has a gilded surface that shines like a beacon near the entrance of the courthouse.  Inside the building’s vast atrium, the column of colorful glass vessels serves as a visual counterweight to the exterior bronze piece.  The translucent glass colors also capture and interact with the changing sunlight that filters into and moves across the space throughout the day. 

Glassford worked closely with the building’s architects to create artworks that thematically relate to and are physically integrated with the design, function, and location of the courthouse.  The bronze and glass sculptures are complimented by a third artwork by Glassford, a vivid mural titled Riparian Nexus that is located at the far end of the building's central atrium.