Letters | Painted steel beams aren't tourist-worthy art

THE RECENT erection of the sculpture "The Iroquois" by Mark di Suvero on the Parkway demonstrates once again that Philly is brain-dead when it comes to understanding what is and isn't art. The only difference between I-beam sculptures like Suvero's and demolition rubble: His are painted.

The effect of sculptures like "The Iroquois" on tourism is best demonstrated by a visit to Sistine Chapel in Rome. A series of modern paintings are hung in the stairway corridors. In my many visits, the majority of visitors rush through the hallways to get to the main hall. There, the paintings and sculptures by the masters are presented for the world to see.

I doubt that even a Canadian will cross the border to see a jumble of painted I-beams titled "The Iroquois." Philly needs to stop shopping at the junkyards for art.

Larry Lueder

Mantua, N.J.