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Jean DuBuffet's Standing Beast
Jean Dubuffet’s Standing Beast is one of Chicago’s most distinctive public sculptures — a towering, puzzle-piece figure that commands the plaza outside the James R. Thompson Center. Unveiled in 1984, the piece draws from Dubuffet’s Hourloupe style, a painting language he invented in the 1960s — the word itself coined while doodling during a phone call. Weighing in at 20,000 pounds, the work was commissioned by the Illinois Capital Development Board and is meant to read simultaneously as a standing animal, a tree, a portal, and an architectural element.
Locals have long nicknamed it “Snoopy in a Blender,” a label that has stuck despite the sculpture’s serious ambitions.
Location: 100 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
Group of Four TreesIllinois Capital Development BoardJames R. Thompson CenterJean DuBuffetSnoopy in a BlenderStanding Beast