Column_I

Column I is a 1983–1984 stainless steel sculpture by James Rosati, installed on the Stanford University campus in Stanford, California, United States. The 30-foot (9.1 m) abstract artwork was installed to commemorate Albert Elsen, an art history professor at Stanford for more than 25 years, who died in 1995. Elsen appreciated Column I and wanted the piece in Stanford's collection, but was unable to acquire the artwork before his death.Stanford University Museum of Art's Lyn Cox said, "[The sculpture] has a good conversation with the palm trees around it. The palm trees say something about calmness and peacefulness in their own way, and 'Column I' responds in a similar but different way, resonating with them."