It is one of the most famous and easily recognizable paintings of the 19th century: Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” Painted between 1884 and 1886, it depicts a panoramic portrait of Parisian life. What a surprise, then, to encounter Seurat’s characters (along with their pets) enjoying a leisurely afternoon, not in Paris but on the banks of the Mississippi River in East Davenport, Iowa, just 175 miles from where the painting hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Cast in fiberglass and adorned with colors that match the painting, these 12 life-size figures were created in 2000 by a trio of Davenport artists: Ted McElhiney, Thom Gleich and Ben Sunday. Vandalized over time, they were saved, beautifully restored and reinstalled in 2022 in their new location, East Lindsay Park. They’re as whimsical and wonderful as they are unexpected, qualities that also apply to other art in Davenport….