“Sophisticated Lady” by Clement Meadmore 1977

"Sophisticated Lady," by Clement Meadmore, is made from Cor-Ten steel. Weighing 3,000 lbs. and standing 15' tall, Sophisticated Lady is located in the sculpture graden at the entrance to the Davenport Museum of Art.

Cor-Ten Steel, which is corrosion-resistant with high tensile strength, became available for sculptors in the 1960s. Although this material will rust with exposure to the elements, it forms a hard, weather-resistant coating that grows darker with age and prevents further corrosion of the steel, making it an appropriate material for outdoor sculpture.

Clement Meadmore was born in 1929 in Melbourne, Australia. In 1953, he saw a large assembly of modern sculpture in Middleheim, Belgium. When he returned to Melbourne, he bought welding equipment and worked with welded steel for the next decade. Meadmore has also been influenced by Japanese architecture, and Abstract Expressionism.