Skyway Fun: Flying Eagle by Gwynn Murrill

IN THE SKYWAY AT 1000 NICOLLET MALL, you will find Target Corporation. It's a bustling point of the skyway at 9am, noon, and 5pm, so it's possible to go by without seeing the very stark, very tall bronze statue called Flying Eagle by artist Gwynn Murrill.

Her specialty appears to be animal sculptures, and although they are minimal, they are also quite strong, sturdy and powerful representations. The flying eagle in the ground floor lobby of Target Corp., just outside of the Dakota Jazz Club, is no exception.As I mentioned, this is a tall sculpture. It is indeed located on the ground floor, but it towers 26' to the ceiling, making it easy to view from skyway level. On the ground floor there is a plaque that says the following:

2003
Bronze
Overall size: 26'H x 10'W x 5'D

The California artist Gywnn Murrill has been sculpting animals out of wood, bronze and marble for nearly four decades. After completing her MFA at UCLA in 1972, she established a studio in Los Angeles. Since that time, she has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Prix de Rome from the American Academy in Rome and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her public commissions and reputation are international.

Celebrated for her public monuments, Murrill approaches the representation of animals with reductive formalism that immediately recalls ancient sculpture. Murrill imbues her animals with a latent sense of power by eliminating excessive surface details and by capturing their taut, alert postures. This abstracted and idealized Eagle engages the spectator with its towering scale and seemingly effortless and serene command of the environment.

Target Corporation,
1000 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN