Sculpture ‘lost’ for 26 years installed in pond

A sculpture by an internationally-renowned artist that was removed from public display 26 years ago has been installed in a park after it was discovered in storage.

Kinetic art piece Three Right Angles Horizontal by George Rickey was removed from Festival Park in Glasgow in June 1994 after a month of being on display as local children had started to use it as play equipment.

It was thought the piece had been lost and Rickey feared it had been destroyed, but the sculpture, known as “Triple L”, had actually gone into safe storage in the city’s Bellahouston Park, before being moved to a facility in East Kilbride.

It was traced during a recent audit which confirmed the work remained in Glasgow City Council’s possession, and it was decided to return it to public view.

The duck pond in Queen’s Park in the southside of Glasgow was chosen as the best location, and the water was drained so a plinth could be erected and the sculpture installed.

The artwork is now in place and park users can enjoy watching the piece, which has three large L shapes that all revolve through 360 degrees.

Local councillor Anna Richardson said: “It’s fantastic that this wonderful sculpture is back where it belongs – on show for everyone to see.

“Queen’s Park is a great location for the Triple L sculpture and I’m sure it will prove a huge amount of enjoyment for all visitors to the park.

“We are very hopeful where it is sited will help address the issues that led to it being placed in storage in the past.

“Twenty-six years is a long time for the sculpture to be out of sight, but everyone involved in the project has done a tremendous job to ensure Triple L can now be seen as was always intended by the artist.

“We are also very grateful to the Rickey family, who have been directly involved in the work to ensure Three Right Angles Horizontal is treated with the care that befits an artist of George Rickey’s stature.”

The sculpture was always intended to be sited within a still water feature, although it has also been installed on dry land

Late artist Rickey was American but spent much of his childhood growing up in Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute.

His son Philip visited Glasgow in 2019 to participate in early work to restore the sculpture.

Three Right Angles Horizontal originally formed part of a major exhibition of Rickey’s work that was held in Glasgow in 1982, which was the year of his 75th birthday.

At that time it was made of wood but by 1988, with the wooden version deteriorating badly, it was agreed that a metal version should be cast as a replacement.

A new version was created which was eventually purchased by the then Glasgow District Council in November 1991.

Rickey’s work continues to be well regarded around the world with 80 pieces on public display in Germany alone, the council said.

Another of his kinetic sculptures, Three Squares Gyratory 1, can be seen in the West Quadrangle at Glasgow University, while his work is also on display at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh.