In the 1960s he abandoned painting in order to work on a larger scale in his civic sculptures, such as Delta Solar.

He has received national awards and commendations for his liturgical, civic, and athletic sculptures.

But the debate over civic sculpture - what it should depict, how it should be depicted - is not new.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries in America, marked by great wealth and great patriotism, was rife with debates over civic sculpture.

But his billboard is a worthy, if fleeting, addition to the classic tradition of civic sculpture.

The Zephyrometer is a civic sculpture by Evans Bay, Wellington.

Has the great tradition of figurative, symbolic civic sculpture truly petered out?

Perhaps this modest step - it would cost less than $1 million - might spark a renaissance in the art of civic sculpture in New York.

The gentleman with the glass eye at the next table is discussing civic sculpture with a woman who might be Catherine Deneuve.

Rising sculptors of the time sought the expertise of the Caproni studios when creating some of the country's best known civic sculpture.