Lawrence Argent sculptor who brought whimsy into public view dies at 60
Lawrence Argent
Lawrence Argent  stands under  "I See What You Mean"  a 40 foot tall sculpture of a blue bear that peers into the east windows of the Colorado Convention Center. (RJ SANGOSTI/THE DENVER POST)
 Lawrence Argent   a sculptor whose monumental  brightly colored works â including a 40-foot bear of lapis lazuli blue  perched on  its  hind legs and peering inside the Denver convention center â brought a sense of lighthearted wonder to public spaces on two continents  died Oct. 4 at a hospital in Denver.  He  was 60.
 Mr. Argent   a onetime medical student in Australia who went on to lead the sculpture program at the University of Denver  spent more than three decades creating playful photographs  sculptures and art installations  often featuring found objects and what  Mr. Argent  called âan edge of humor.â
Hanging two blood-red street sweeper brushes together   he  formed a testicular work  he  titled âCojonesâ (1999). Pairs of antique womenâs gloves  framed side by side in polyester resin  created a âLibrary of Applauseâ (1994)  and the birth of his sons inspired a series of abstract  250-pound bronze and marble sculptures in the shape of pacifiers.
 Mr. Argent  became best known as a whimsical artist of the public realm beginning with âI See What You Mean â erected just outside the Colorado Convention Center in 2005. Commonly known as âthe big blue bear â the work has become an emblem of hip  21st-century Denver  though its construction initially led some friends to ask whether  Mr. Argent  was now working for Disney.
âLeap â a glass and aluminum sculpture of a rabbit that  Mr. Argent  completed at the Sacramento International Airport in 2011. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)
[TGT] stands under  "I See What You Mean"  a 40 foot tall sculpture of a blue bear that peers into the east windows of the Colorado Convention Center. (RJ SANGOSTI/THE DENVER POST)
  [TGT]    a sculptor whose monumental  brightly colored works â including a 40-foot bear of lapis lazuli blue  perched on   [TGT]   hind legs and peering inside the Denver convention center â brought a sense of lighthearted wonder to public spaces on two continents  died Oct. 4 at a hospital in Denver.   [TGT]   was 60.
  [TGT] spent more than three decades creating playful photographs  sculptures and art installations  often featuring found objects and what   [TGT] called âan edge of humor.â
Hanging two blood-red street sweeper brushes together    [TGT]   formed a testicular work   [TGT]   titled âCojonesâ (1999). Pairs of antique womenâs gloves  framed side by side in polyester resin  created a âLibrary of Applauseâ (1994)  and the birth of his sons inspired a series of abstract  250-pound bronze and marble sculptures in the shape of pacifiers.
  [TGT] became best known as a whimsical artist of the public realm beginning with âI See What You Mean â erected just outside the Colorado Convention Center in 2005. Commonly known as âthe big blue bear â the work has become an emblem of hip  21st-century Denver  though its construction initially led some friends to ask whether   [TGT] was now working for Disney.
âLeap â a glass and aluminum sculpture of a rabbit that   [TGT] completed at the Sacramento International Airport in 2011. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)