Dropped Cone
Cologne, Germany
Background History
This sculpture was created by Clause Oldenburg. It was commissioned by Neumarkt Galerie and installed in March 2001. The commission came from the owners of a shopping mall that is on the corner of Neumarkt Square. It was decided to put the sculpture on the roof of the mall because the streets of Cologne are so busy and the sculpture could be a part of the other architecture around it. Dropped Cone was created in 2001 also, so it only took Oldenburg a year to create and install the sculpture.
Artist's Statement
The idea of an ice cream cone for a sculpture was chosen for more than one reason. Ice cream is popular in Cologne and ice cream cones are on the front of many ice cream parlors in the city. Also, the word cone is found in the city's name Cologne. The emphasis of the cone is unique because it is different than any of the other advertisements in the streets of Cologne, which makes it stand out. Oldenburg used a diamond pattern to give the sculpture an architectural look. The shape of the "ice cream" part of the cone has a shape that gives it the "dropped" look. It is made from a clay model that took many experiments before it was finally right.
Dropped Cone Finished
Dropped Cone Being Put on the Mall
Dropped Cone in Finishing Stages
My Thoughts
This sculpture stood out to me for a couple reasons but especially, because I LOVE ice cream! I think Oldenburg did a great job of making the sculpture stand out in a very busy and congested place. He put it somewhere where it could be easily seen and didn't take away attention from the other advertisements and buildings around it. It fit in very well in the city of Cologne because ice cream is very popular there and there are many ice cream parlors as well. I also like it because you can see the texture of the cone. It looks realistic because the ice creams looks as if it is melting down the windows.