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Spoonbridge and Cherry

Spoon and Cherry Sculpture line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The drawing of the Spoonbridge & Cherry was completed in 1994. Every great city deserves a famous landmark that will identify it no matter where the image is seen. For many years, the Twin Cities had nothing like this, until an ambitious project turned the area in front of the Walker Art center into the lovely sculpture gardens, and this piece became the anchor. The location might look somewhat different now, with some buildings being added to the skyline, and the landscaping around the sculpture altered. But this drawing was completed not too long after the installation of the piece, so it represents a snapshot in time.

Information about the Spoonbridge & Cherry:

The Spoonbrige & Cherry - also called the Spoon & Cherry - is a large piece of 3D artwork located in the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens. It was completed between 1985-1989 by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. It was a gift to the gardens from Frederick R. Weisman in honor of his parents; William and Mary Weisman. The materials used in the making of the sculpture is aluminum, paint and stainless steel. The size is approximately 354" tall, 618" long, and 162" wide. Oldenburg is known for his oversized versions of ordinary objects, and has other pieces in the Walker Art Museum, including one of a giant overturned bag of french fries. While the design of the sculpture is due mostly to Oldenburg, his wife helped develop the piece and added the element of the cherry. The spoon weighs about 5,8000 pounds and the cherry is 1,2000. The items were created in a shipbuilding yard in New England. The sculpture became an immediate success and anchor point of the drawing, while the image of the piece became a recognizable image for the city of Minneapolis and the impressive gardens filled with wonderful works of art.