(Oldenburg distinguished the two pieces as "one light and floating, one heavy and fallen, each asserting what they're made of.")
For Carlos Basualdo, the museum's contemporary art curator and curator for the sculpture garden, the Oldenburg marks perhaps a transformative moment in the evolution of the outdoor space.
"It has the potential for becoming a signature piece," he said. "The Oldenburg plug stands out - the materials, the image. I think the whole thing works very well together."
As Ray Huxen and his wife, Diane, were leaving the museum Wednesday morning, they stopped to watch the workers swarming around the plug.
"I love it," said Huxen. He and his wife live in New Orleans and are visiting their son here. "I just love it."
"What is it?" said Diane Huxen, watching the maneuvering around the two-ton piece.
"It's a production putting it up, I'll tell you that," she said. "Kind of dangerous."
Ray Huxen said, "It's the kind of thing we ought to have in New Orleans. I'm pleased that Philadelphia has such beautiful things."
Looking at the plug, now jutting from the top of the museum's grassy knoll, Pincus said he was pleased with the result as well.
"It speaks," he said.
Contact culture writer Stephan Salisbury at 215-854-5594 or ssalisbury@phillynews.com.
