Public art is always subject to debate, and in San Diego, the preference tends to run on the less-than-sophisticated side. Statues of dolphins and fishermen will hardly cause a ripple, but anything remotely abstract will elicit cries of outrage. One sculpture in particular has caused befuddlement, more than outrage, along with a high-level of embarrassed chuckles. Representing a large bowel movement, hospital staff and patients of the Scripps Green Hospital referred to the sculpture piece as the “Scripps Turd,” which remains its reputation to this day.

The Abstract Sculpture, Okeanos, a.k.a. “The Scripps Turd”

The Scripps Turd is an abstract bronze sculpture called Okeanos by artist William Tucker. Tucker is a modern British sculptor and art scholar born in Cairo, Egypt. He attended the University of Oxford from 1955 to 1958 and further studied sculpture at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London under the esteemed mentor Anthony Caro. Consequently, he has received various accolades for his work, which include:

• The Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in 1986
• The International Sculpture Center’s Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture in 2010
• The title of National Academician at the National Academy Museum in 2011

Between 1988 and 2001, those driving along North Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla undoubtedly noticed Tucker’s imposing 13-foot piece of art placed prominently in front of the Scripps Green Hospital. Despite the public’s distaste for the piece, the 3,500-pound sculpture was commissioned for $200,000 in 1987, funded by donors in honor of Frank J. Dixon, the Director of the Institute for 25 years.

Tucker named the artwork after the Greek god of rivers and oceans, Okeanos or Ὠκεανός (Ōkeanós), also known as Oceanus. Okeanos was a Titan symbolizing the ocean and was the eldest son of Uranus and Gaia. Tucker mentioned that the form, to him, suggested an ocean wave, and it was initially praised by many critics upon its reveal.

Criticism and Review of the Sculpture From 1988-2001

Michael Brenson, the former art critic of The New York Times, reviewed Okeanos in 1988:

“The sculpture is a rippling curve that seems to spew out of the earth and curl up like a wave. It suggests not only water but also clouds and vegetation and human limbs.”

Unfortunately, the public did not share the same sentiment. Philanthropist Edythe H. Scripps expressed her disdain, stating, “I’ve been trying to get rid of that thing for years,” in a conversation with the Union-Tribune in 2001. Therefore, “The Turd” was relocated in 2001 to a less conspicuous location on the east side of the Scripps Research Institute, at the intersection of John Jay Hopkins Drive and General Atomics Court. The relocation came with a cost of $40,000.

Admission is free, and the Okeanos piece can still be found at the aforementioned location for those who consider it a moving piece of art.