Pablo Picasso never came to Chicago - never even set foot in the United States. But in 1967 Picasso gave Chicago an incredible gift: that fifty foot, 162 ton sculpture (or giant slide, depending on your age and point of view) in the heart of Daley Plaza.
The architects developing the plaza (then known as the Chicago Civic Center) sought Picasso out for the job. After all, by that point he was firmly established as the great artist of the 20th century. Picasso accepted, though apparently he rarely did commissions and he wouldn't take any money for the work.
Of course not all Chicagoans considered it a gift, disagreeing then (and now) over what the work actually represents, and whether it's more eyesore than work of art.
As big an event as that unveiling was, it wasn't Chicago's introduction to Picasso.
