John von Neumann (sculpture)

John von Neumann, also known as John von Neumann Gargoyle and Portrait Head of von Neumann, is an outdoor 1987 copper sculpture by Wayne Chabre, attached to the exterior of Deschutes Hall on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene, Oregon, United States.^[1][2][3][4]

John von Neumann
The sculpture (right) and Alan Turing (left), attached to Deschutes Hall in 2011
Artist	Wayne Chabre
Year	1987 (1987)
Type	Sculpture
Medium	Copper
Subject	John von Neumann
Dimensions	0.91 m × 0.46 m × 0.46 m (3 ft × 1.5 ft × 1.5 ft)
Condition	"Treatment needed" (1993)
Location	Eugene, Oregon, United States
Coordinates	44.04566°N 123.07103°W / 44.04566; -123.07103
Owner	University of Oregon

The sculpture depicts the Hungarian-born American mathematician John von Neumann. The relief head is made of hammered copper sheet and measures approximately 3 feet (0.91 m) x 1.5 feet (0.46 m) x 1.5 feet (0.46 m). It cost around $2,500. The sculpture's condition was deemed "treatment needed" by Smithsonian Institution's "Save Outdoor Sculpture!" program in 1993. It is administered by the University of Oregon.^[5]

The piece is one of a series by Chabre at the Eugene campus that includes scientists and mathematicians Albert Einstein (Einstein Gargoyle, 1986), Sir Isaac Newton (Isaac Newton Gargoyle), Marie Curie (Marie Curie Gargoyle, 1989), James Clerk Maxwell (Maxwell & Demon Gargoyle, 1989), Alan Turing (Alan Turing, 1988), John von Neumann, and Thomas Condon; a fruit fly (Drosophila Fly Head, 1988); and a school of zebrafish.^[6]

See also

• Oregon portal
• Visual arts portal

• 1987 in art

References

1. "John Von Neumann", Public Art Archive, archived from the original on October 6, 2015, retrieved 2023-06-20
2. Streisinger, Lotte (1992), "People, Place and Public Art" (PDF), Places; A Quarterly Journal of Environmental Design, 7 (4): 56
3. "The Architecture of the University of Oregon Outdoor Sculpture & Building Ornamentation: John von Neumann". University of Oregon Libraries. October 2004. Archived from the original on 2013-01-19.
4. "Genius ahead of his time", New Scientist, vol. 132, p. 17, 2 November 1991
5. "Portrait Head of Von Neumann, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
6. "60 stories in 90 seconds", Oregon Quarterly, University of Oregon, 2015