Alexander Calder, 1966. Also known as(officially titled but rarely called?)
La Grande Voile and
the big sail. 40 foot tall
stabile, black, looks like a
sail made of
plate steel. Rather nice.
Located in front of the Green Building on MIT's main campus. Serves as the meeting place for the annual spontaneous tuition riot.
MIT myth states that, when the Green Building was constructed, there was a problem with air currents causing the revolving doors to spin uncontrollably. Supposedly, the big sail was strategically placed to solve this problem.
Promo material from the film study center at Harvard University (they sell a documentary involving time lapse photography of its construction) ... promo material claims it to be Calder's largest sculpture in America. I don't remember it being particularly huge. La Grande vitesse seemed to be much larger. Maybe the big sail is merely taller.