The work I chose to write about is Claes Oldenburg's "Spoonbridge and Cherry" (1985-1988). It is constructed of aluminum, stainless steel, and paint and the dimensions are 354 x 618 x 162 in. Even though I have viewed this work in the past, I have never seen it without the cherry on the spoon. In discussion with a classmate about the sculpture, Kate made the comment that the 'absence' changes the work. I completely agreed with her observation. When we first approached "Spoonbridge and
Cherry," we knew something was different; and then, we realized that the cherry was missing. When looking at the spoon, the viewer can see where the cherry had been previously because of the different color and surface treatment on the end of the spoon.To see more images of the cherryless spoon, click on any of the images, or click on the following link: http://photobucket.com/steindlj_ClaesOldenburgCherrylessSpoon.
To read more about the history of Oldenburg's "Spoonbridge and Cherry," click on the following link (which will take you to the Walker Art Center's site): http://garden.walkerart.org/artwork.wac.
To read more about the cherry restoration process and how they (Walker Art Center) put the cherry back on the spoon, click on the following link (this will also take you to the Walker Art Center's site): http://blogs.walkerart.org/ecp/2009/05/01/cherry-back-on-spoon/.
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