The Stamford Cone is a stained glass pavilion, commissioned from the artist

Brian Clarke Brian Clarke (born 2 July 1953) is a British painter, architectural artist and printmaker, known for his large-scale stained glass and mosaic projects, symbolist paintings, set designs, and collaborations with major figures in Modern and conte ...

as a site-specific artwork for the headquarters of

UBS AG UBS Group AG is a multinational investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres as the largest Swis ...

and landmark feature for the city of Stamford, Connecticut in the United States. Designed and fabricated over three years, it was completed in 1999 at a cost of over $1 million. The realisation of the design was executed jointly by Clarke, architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, and engineered by Goldreich Engineering and Dewhurst MacFarlane & Partners. The work was fabricated under Clarke's supervision in Munich, Germany, by the Mayer'sche Hofkunstanstalt. At the time of its completion, the artwork was the largest free-standing glass structure ever made.

History

In 1996, the British artist Brian Clarke was approached by the

Swiss Bank Corporation Swiss Bank Corporation was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. Prior to its merger, the bank was the third largest in Switzerland with over CHF300 billion of assets and CHF11.7 billion of equ ...

to design a work of site-specific art for their new headquarters in Connecticut, as part of the City of Stamford's Percent for Art programme. The artwork was to be situated in a landscaped park being laid out adjacent to the headquarters complex, now named Gateway Commons. The following year,

SBC Warburg S. G. Warburg & Co. was a London-based investment bank. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The firm was acquired by the Swiss Bank Corporation in 1995 and ultimately became a part of UBS. ...

was merged with U.S. investment bank Dillon, Read & Co. to create

Warburg Dillon Read Dillon, Read & Co. was an investment bank based in New York City. In 1991, it was acquired by Barings Bank and, in 1997, it was acquired by Swiss Bank Corporation, which was in turn acquired by UBS in 1998. History Carpenter & Vermilye Dillon Read ...

, and at the time of the work's completion, following the merger of the Swiss Bank Corporation and

Union Bank of Switzerland Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) was a Swiss investment bank and financial services company located in Switzerland. The bank, which at the time was the second largest bank in Switzerland, merged with Swiss Bank Corporation in 1998, to become ...

, was operating as

UBS Warburg UBS Group AG is a multinational Investment banking, investment bank and financial services company founded and based in Switzerland. Co-headquartered in the cities of Zürich and Basel, it maintains a presence in all major financial centres ...

. The Stamford Cone was formally dedicated on 3 June 1999.

Design and fabrication

The resolved work of art takes the form of a conical structure formed entirely of glass, and was designed and fabricated by Clarke, over a period of three years. The composition consists of 204 individual panels of mouth-blown glass laminated to a skin of protective

float Float may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Albums * ''Float'' (Aesop Rock album), 2000 * ''Float'' (Flogging Molly album), 2008 * ''Float'' (Styles P album), 2013 Songs * "Float" (Tim and the Glory Boys song), 2022 * "Float", by Bush ...

that forms the exterior glazing, supported by 16 fins of laminated, toughened glass, with steel ring beams and tension cables the only non-glass elements.

Location

The work is located in Gateway Commons, a landscaped park that runs along Washington Boulevard adjacent to the former UBS Dillon Warburg center, created as part of the 1990s regeneration drive for the area that included the commission of the Cone.

Gallery

Image:The_Stamford_Cone_by_Brian_Clarke_during_fabrication.jpg, The Stamford Cone during fabrication Image:Stamford Cone at the UBS building in Stamford, Connecticut LCCN2012631407.tif , Interior view of the Stamford Cone

References

Buildings and structures in Stamford, Connecticut Culture of Stamford, Connecticut Outdoor sculptures in Connecticut Glass works of art 1999 sculptures Tourist attractions in Stamford, Connecticut Stained glass Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Pavilions in the United States Contemporary art Works by Brian Clarke {{Art-stub