Installed in 2010 as part of the Public Art of the University of Houston System Collection, The Statue of Four Lies is one of the most recognizable and beloved works on the UH campus. Created by University of Houston School of Art alumni Michael Galbreth (1953–2019) and Jack Massing—known collectively as The Art Guys—the work combines humor, performance, and public engagement in a way that has become synonymous with the artists’ practice.
The sculpture references Harvard University’s famous “Statue of Three Lies,” a campus landmark whose inscription contains three historical inaccuracies. The Art Guys playfully escalated the concept, creating a work that promises not three lies but four. Rather than presenting a traditional monument, the artists fashioned what they described as a “performance sculpture”—an artwork designed to invite interaction, curiosity, and reinterpretation by generations of students and visitors.
Cast in bronze yet intentionally anti-monumental in spirit, the sculpture depicts the artists themselves in theatrical poses, welcoming viewers into a stage-like environment. The surrounding plaza includes a variety of enigmatic elements, inscriptions, and objects that encourage observation, conversation, and playful speculation. Since its installation, students have regularly interacted with the artwork, attempting to decipher the clues, decorating the figures and incorporating them into campus traditions, fulfilling the artists’ original vision that the work remain active and participatory rather than static.
A central feature of the project is a time capsule embedded within the sculpture’s limestone wall. True to the artwork’s playful embrace of ambiguity and invention, the accompanying plaque includes intentionally misleading details that extend the theme of the “four lies.” The capsule was sealed by the artists with instructions that it remain unopened until September 26, 2026, making this event the culmination of a sixteen-year artistic gesture and a rare opportunity to experience a component of the artwork that has remained hidden since its dedication.
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