Artwork Detail

Soller I

Artist: Gold, Betty

Object Date: 2003

Medium: Corten steel

Imperial Dims: Overall: 120 x 84 x 48 in.

Department(s): Parks and Recreation

Address Name: South Coast Botanic Gardens

Supervisorial District: 4

This Corten steel sculpture was installed in the South Coast Botanic Gardens in July 2003. It was the first artwork permanently placed in the Gardens and its installation involved cooperation between the donors, John and Marilyn Long, and the South Coast Botanic Gardens Foundation. The sculpture’s form, composed of paper-like folds, creates shapes that change as the viewer encounters and moves around the figure. The artwork’s title comes from Sóller, Spain, a village on the island of Mallorca where artist Betty Gold spends time each year. Sóller I stands near the main entrance to the Gardens and can be seen by visitors as they walk from the Administration Building into the Children’s garden.:

Betty Gold, born in Austin, Texas in 1935, received her BA from the University of Texas and later apprenticed under sculptor Octavio Medellin. Gold moved from Texas to the Los Angeles area in 1977 and opened her current studio in 1985. Her artworks are inspired by geometric and figurative forms and they reside in public and private collections in the United States and Europe. Gold’s other public works include sculptures in Vancouver, Canada, Chetumal, Mexico, and Mallorca, Spain. Betty Gold currently resides in Venice, California.: