The sculpture, carved in Italy from a single 200-ton block of white Pentelic marble quarried in Greece, was commissioned by Georgia-Pacific in 1967 and installed in front of the Standard Insurance Center in 1970.

One critic appreciated how its flowing lines contrasted with the "stark" pillars of the adjacent building, and called the marble "impressive".

The sculpture was carved in Carrara, Italy, from a single 200-ton block of white Pentelic marble, quarried near Athens.

[3][5] Michelangelo inspired the work, but von Svoboda took a more "humanistic" approach, and 35 stonemasons assisted with the sculpture's creation, which took two-and-a-half years to complete.

[6] von Svoboda's Perpetuity, a hollowed-out cross-section of a redwood log with a bronze "seedling" radiating outward, served as a "companion" sculpture.

Originally installed along the Southwest Fourth Avenue side of the building, the work was relocated to the World Forestry Center.

During the unveiling ceremony, there was reportedly a "momentary stunned silence then crescendo of applause duly recorded by local news media".

[3] In contrast, Tisdale said of the work: The Quest has been around since 1970, long enough for its provenance and purpose to sink into mystery ... No one seems to like it much, and others actively dislike it.