Minneapolis Sculpture Garden's famed giant cherry to disappear for 2 months for repainting
The big cherry is heading to the Big Apple.
The 1,200-pound, lipstick-red cherry is being removed from its enormous spoon cradle at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Tuesday so it can get a touch-up, the Walker Art Center announced.
Beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday, crews will unbolt and lift the gigantic fruit from the base, and load it on a truck bound for New York for a bit of restoration and repainting.
The cherry will travel in a "specially designed armature" made by Walker crew member, a spokesperson told Bring Me The News.
Once in the Big Apple, the firm Fine Art Finishes — which specializes in refinishing sculptures, including pieces by Oldenburg and van Bruggen, the museum spokesperson said — will provide the cherry its regular polish.
Crews working to remove the cherry in 2009
Walker Art Center
The decision to transport the cherry 1,200 miles to New York for painting has raised some eyebrows.
But the Walker said of Fine Art Finishes: "They routinely paint works by some of the most prominent sculptors, including some of the most technically challenging, and are highly respected in the industry."
How long will the spoon be without its cherry? Likely until mid-January, the Walker said.
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Spoonbridge and Cherry has become one of Minneapolis' signature images since its installation at the Sculpture Garden in 1988. The Walker said Minnesota's "typically harsh" winter conditions mean the cherry needs a new coat of point every decade or so.
The last time it got one was in 2009.
