Like a flying celestial, this cheerful naked clown with his hat stood up until May 2018 on the Coolsingel. The statue was made by the British artist Thom Puckey, who has been working as a sculptor and teacher in the Netherlands since 1978. Although figurative, Puckey's work is not easy to fathom due to his enigmatic nature. Here appears the title The Husband of the Doll (The husband of the doll) to refer to a fairy tale or a children's story. The husband looks a bit like a cartoon character, but Puckey also refers to sculpture. Compare it with the dancer from Degas, the Eros at Piccadilly Circus in London and the Mercury from Giambologna. By linking the slender floating position to a clown, he creates a transverse image. The naturalistic body merges into the strikingly caricatural head, which has a wistful appearance. In the meantime, the old professional knowledge is needed to keep the image in balance. Craftsmanship, humor, art-historical tradition and alienation go hand in hand here. Due to long-term work on the Coolsingel The Husband of the Doll temporarily placed in the garden of CultuurWerkplaats Tarwewijk. The statue has been back on Coolsingel since January 2021. For more information: Sculpture International Rotterdam.
