These are shuttlecocks on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art here in Kansas City. They always make me smile so I thought they might make you smile too.
The shuttlecocks are the work of Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen. They created quite a stir here when they were originally placed in 1994. You can just imagine some of the letters to the editor in the Kansas City Star, can't you? ^_^ There's another shuttlecock, not in this photo, on the front lawn and yet another around back - as if giants were playing Badminton and the main building of the Nelson were the net.
Many people, such as myself, felt joy the moment we saw the humongous shuttlecocks while others felt that such whimsical art was unsuitable right out in front of the Beaux Art, symmetrical, traditional and stately building. The Nelson-Atkins building, in the background, has housed major art collections since its' opening in 1933.
Permanent collections include paintings by Caravaggio, Poussin, O'Keefe, Van Gogh, Manet, and more. 33,000 pieces are housed within the Nelson. Sculptures, furniture, vases; Ancient, Chinese, European, African, Japanese and Native American works are represented amongst the vast collection. As a matter of fact, a new building was built not long ago to provide more space for displays in storage. Ah, but that's another story for another post.
Thanks for stopping by; hope this made you smile.
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