Game Action

Game Action

Claire Falkenstein, 1965

This copper tubing and colored glass sculpture is located above the entrance to Kinesiology and Health Science Building. It was funded as part of the construction cost of the building.

This abstract sculpture was commissioned for the entrance wall of the gymnasium soon after the installation of Falkenstein’s fountain, Structure and Flow, at the California Federal Savings and Loan building in Los Angeles. The sculpture was constructed in seven sections to interact across the long expanse of wall above the main entrance. Falkenstein’s interest in the natural as well as geometric forms is seen here. Copper tubing with fused glass form lines that point in various directions. These dynamic lines are intended tosymbolize the energy and emotion of athletes in action. The fusion of glass and metal was a hallmark of Falkenstein’s sculpture.

Claire Falkenstein (1908–1997) earned a B.A. degree from U.C. Berkeley. In 1950 she opened a studio in Paris and in 1960 moved to Venice, California where she maintained a studio and residence until her death. Private commissions and works are found in Europe as well as the United States. Major commissions in the Los Angeles include the St.Basil church windows, rectory screen, and doors, and sculptures on the CSU Long Beach and CSU Domingez Hills campuses. John Olson, then Chair of the Division of Fine and Applied Arts, was responsible for having