Key West · Art Scene · 3 min read
The Buoy, the Bronzes and Key West's Public Art Icons
A concrete buoy born out of theft prevention and a family of bronze travelers: Key West's icons have wilder backstories than you'd guess.
September 11, 2026
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Some landmarks are designed. Others are accidents that become legends. The Southernmost Point buoy, that candy-striped concrete marker every visitor photographs at Whitehead and South Streets, falls firmly into the second category.
Born from theft
Before 1983 the spot was simply marked with signs. The trouble was, people kept stealing them. So the city poured a heavy concrete buoy instead, something no souvenir hunter could carry off. It was dedicated with a full ceremony in September 1983, complete with music and a ribbon-cutting.
The buoy, 90 miles from Cuba, has weathered its share of drama since: Hurricane Irma battered it in 2017, and it has been repaired and repainted more than once after vandalism.
A monument built to stop theft became the most photographed object on the island.
The airport's happy family
Key West's relationship with public sculpture goes beyond the buoy. J. Seward Johnson, the sculptor famous for his hyperreal bronze figures and the 26-foot "Forever Marilyn," is also behind the "Happy Family" bronzes that greeted travelers at Key West International Airport for years, a slice of his "Celebrating the Familiar" style of everyday scenes. In 2023 the family was moved out while the airport was renovated.
Art you can't avoid
What ties the buoy and the bronzes together is that neither sits in a museum. They're woven into daily island life: you pass them running errands, catching flights or wandering after dinner. Which might be exactly the point of public art in a place this small.
Make the walls move
On a Vivia Art piece, one tap of the shutter plays the artist's own animation right on the real wall. Your free Art Passport saves every piece you find.
