Major new sculpture unveiled on Miami waterfront
Leslie Judd Ahlander
News Art Critic

Miami art scene
Friday, May 15, 1987
The Miami News 3C

Miami has just acquired a major new sculpture on its waterfront, the work of the Boston sculptor John Ralmondi. It was commissioned by the Lincoln Property Co. and the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., and can be seen at the new Barnett Bank building at 700 Brickell Ave. The work is 78 feet long and 38 feet high, and required 10 tons of bronze in its fabrication. Called "Aquila," Latin for eagle, its soaring forms of verdigris green are beautifully sited against the bay.

At the same time, ArtSpace/Virginia Miller Galleries in Coral Gables is holding a one-man show of Raimondi's new work, including a stunning series of ink drawings of birds, which he obviously has studied with great care. An ardent conservationist, Raimondi's most interesting works are all about wildlife, which he nevertheless renders freely in semiabstract or abstract forms, drawing the essence of each creature's character and stance. The series of mating cranes is especially graceful. The exhibit also comprises scale models of numerous other works, including one that soon will be erected at the airport in Omaha, Nebraska, to become its symbol. Called "The Dance of the Cranes," it will stand 60 feet high.