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.
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 |
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| Production type | Limited edition |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| 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 created | February 15, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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