site
Residence,
American Ambassador to UNESCO
11, av. Leopold II
75016 Paris, France

client
American Embassy
Margaret Jann, Architect

date
September 1982

program
In the original design, an exterior garden wall and the adjacent floor were to function together as a unit. The wall would be painted and the floor would be executed in a combination of glass block and custom-made tile. The color of the mural, in the particular light of Paris, constantly changes and appears to 'dematerialize' the wall it's painted on. The central portion of the image was conceived as though it were an 'area of light' projecting from the terrace door. Viewed over time, this central portion, now surrounded by an 'arch,' appears to recede and is perceived as 'sky.'

dimensions
20 ft (H) X 15 ft (W)

status
Completed in 1982

execution
Completed by the artist and six assistants

materials
Pliolite — a rubber-based oil paint from Goodyear, painted on stucco over stone.

notes
The floor, which was to entail complicated and costly reconstruction, was dropped from the final program at the request of the Embassy.

Photography by the artist