Named after the eponymous actress, the plastic artwork is a 52 meter high hyperboloid of one sheet built from carbon fiber reinforced polymer.

[1] Mae West was planned in 2002 for the altered Effnerplatz after construction of a tunnel for the so-called Mittlerer Ring.

Following highly controversial discussions about size, shape and cost both within the city council and among the citizens, the sculpture was built between October 2010 and January 2011.

Mae West is located at the center of the Effnerplatz [de] (Effner square) in Munich-Bogenhausen, at the intersection of Mittlerer Ring, Bülowstraße and Effnerstraße.

In 2002, due to the planning of the Effnertunnel, the newly available square was selected as the site of a new art project and eight artists were asked to develop ideas for the area.