One of the Twin Cities' iconic images is getting a new coat of paint.
Cherry is ripe for a new coat of paint
The iconic sculpture, "Spoonbridge and Cherry," has been a feature at the Sculpture Garden near Minneapolis' Loring Park for more than 20 years.
The cherry portion of the Walker Art Center's "Spoonbridge and Cherry" was removed this morning for repainting.
The stainless-steel cherry, weighing in at 1,200 pounds, was hoisted from the tip of the mammoth spoon by a 110-ton crane.
It's now on its way to Hugo, where it will be sloshed in the same paint that is used for yachts and barges. The bright-red orb should be back on its familiar perch in about five weeks.
The artwork has adorned the Sculpture Garden near Minneapolis' Loring Park since 1988 and has been a signature image for the metro area.
It was designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. The husband and wife produced a number of large-scale sculptures of everyday objects, such as a flashlight in Las Vegas and a firehouse in Freiburg, Switzerland. Coosje van Bruggen died January 10 at age 66. She had been battling breast cancer.
The mammoth sculpture was constructed by two New England ship-building firms.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
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