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Greetings Card

1990 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Coins, tanks, ribbon and childhood are recurring motifs in Bill Woodrow's sculpture. In this red bronze coin issued by Momart, Woodrow concentrates all of these potent themes into one design. Generally, each of Woodrow's symbols can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

In the context of the artist's output in 1990, however, each of these images plays a specific role. At the time, coins figured in many of his works, serving as a commentary on consumerism and the culture of consumption. Tanks, meanwhile, were Woodrow's means of addressing the worsening political situation in Croatia, which figured prominently in the news at the time. The artist repeatedly uses ribbon to signify union, a connection between disparate parts. In the figure of Humpty Dumpty, Bill Woodrow presents an easily-recogniseable nursery rhyme character, one who represents fragility.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cast red bronze
Brief description
Christmas card in the form of a coin by Bill Woodrow for Momart, 1990.
Physical description
(Verso) Image of children's rhyme character Humpty Dumpty sitting on a brick wall. The human/egg character wears a bow tie and holds a key in one hand and a lock in the other.
(Recto) Image of a military tank wrapped in ribbon.
Dimensions
  • Irreg. diameter: 5.2cm
Production typeLimited edition
Marks and inscriptions
  • Christmas Greetings 1990 MOMART (recto)
  • H.F. Dumpty: Dei: GRA: BR: OMN: REX (verso)
Credit line
Given by Momart
Production
Reason For Production: Commission
Subjects depicted
Summary
Coins, tanks, ribbon and childhood are recurring motifs in Bill Woodrow's sculpture. In this red bronze coin issued by Momart, Woodrow concentrates all of these potent themes into one design. Generally, each of Woodrow's symbols can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

In the context of the artist's output in 1990, however, each of these images plays a specific role. At the time, coins figured in many of his works, serving as a commentary on consumerism and the culture of consumption. Tanks, meanwhile, were Woodrow's means of addressing the worsening political situation in Croatia, which figured prominently in the news at the time. The artist repeatedly uses ribbon to signify union, a connection between disparate parts. In the figure of Humpty Dumpty, Bill Woodrow presents an easily-recogniseable nursery rhyme character, one who represents fragility.
Collection
Accession number
E.903-2000

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Record createdFebruary 15, 2001
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