I’m not going to get too involved in the public art debate about John Henry’s 33-foot tall “Big Max” sculpture on display at MacDill Park along the riverfront in downtown Tampa.
When it comes to most modern art, including public sculptures, I’m a card-carrying philistine. I can’t even pretend to get it. Is “Big Max” an oversized anti-tank barrier? Or a gigantic version of what some Filipino pilgrim will carry through the streets of Manila on Good Friday? Or merely a slyly successful forum to get us all conjecturing?
But I will say this. After decades of neglect and misuse of the Tampa riverfront, it’s been gratifying to see a progressive, aesthetic plan finally underway. Museums and parks and energizing, complementary commercial enterprises.
But “Big Max” on the waterfront?
At least put it on the Trump Tower lot, where it can divert attention from the art of the deal.