Santiago Calatrava returns to SMU for show in his honor

By Michael Granberry

Long before the opening of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Santiago Calatrava had already left his imprint on Dallas at Southern Methodist University. Calatrava designed Wave, a 40-by-90-foot perpetually moving sculpture installed in 2002 on the street-level plaza in front of the Meadows Museum on Bishop Boulevard.

In honor of the bridge debut, SMU is hosting a special exhibition of Calatrava’s work, titled “Calatrava and SMU: A Decade in Motion.” The show opens March 4 and runs through April 22.

“Over the past decade, Calatrava and SMU have built a deep relationship,” Meadows Museum director Mark A. Roglán said in a prepared statement. “It is now our great pleasure to extend this relationship to the people of Dallas as we join them in celebrating the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Our exhibition will offer visitors a unique view of the artist behind the bridge and illustrate the many ties that bind him to SMU.”

The exhibition includes Calatrava’s preliminary watercolor sketches of Wave, whose bronze bars move sequentially above a reflection pool. Calatrava will return to SMU on Saturday to see the show as well as the 2009 renovation of the Meadows Museum Plaza and Sculpture Garden near Wave. The Meadows is the only museum in this area that includes Calatrava works in its permanent collection. His sculptures Palme and Il Dente are featured in the show.