This building is now home to the UofSC Philosophy Department, across from the Horseshoe.
After World War II, there was a surge of growth and modernism within the United States and specifically, Columbia. The mosaic on theJames F. Byrnes Building on the campus of the University of South Carolina is an abstract work of art and was made in part of this movement. It is by artist Gilmer Petroff and was completed in 1957. Twelve feet by forty feet and made entirely of Venetian tiles in a mosaic pattern, the piece is monumental. It stretches from floor to ceiling and covers the entire wall from the corner of the building to the entrance, even wrapping around inside the building into the foyer.It is of the International Style, which began in Europe and spread in the mid-century to many countries, including theUnited States.This work of art is a contemporary piece and bears resemblance to other works of the time, including Catherine Rembert’s mural on the SCE&G Building on Lady Street, also in Columbia. There are differences between the two works, but both embrace forward-movement and progress post World War II. Formalism and iconography are strong within Petroff’s mosaic. He abstracted different forms of buildings to get at the essence of the shape and married them beautifully within the composition.
