Cleveland Museum of Art Reveals Snowman Sculpture

The Cleveland Museum of Art has added The “Snowman” sculpture, constructed by Swiss artists Peter Fishchli and David Weiss.

The copper sculpture is frost-coasted and filled with water. The box that encases the snowman has a micro climate so that over time the condensed warter collects, forms and freezes, turning into the snowman’s frosty exterior.

“Snowman” is a temporary exhibit and will stay till Sunday, Sept. 6.

Do you want to see a Snowman? — ⛄ “Snowman,” first constructed by Swiss artists Peter Fischli (b. 1952) and David Weiss (1946–2012) is on view now in the Ames Family Atrium at the CMA! “Snowman,” a sculpture composed of a snowman encased in a freezer, was first constructed by the artists when they were commissioned by a German power plant to create a site-specific work. The sculpture is a frost-coated copper sculpture filled with water. The box encasing it creates a microclimate that is kept humid; over time, condensed water collects on the surface of the form and freezes, transforming the copper base into a snowman. The surprise of encountering a snowman inside the museum gestures to recurring tensions in Fischli and Weiss’s practice—between the fleeting and permanent, the natural and artificial. It is also an indication of the playfulness that is a hallmark of their work. “Snowman” is a generous temporary loan from the Scott Mueller family. It’s on view through Sunday, September 6, 2020.

A post shared by Cleveland Museum of Art (@clevelandmuseumofart) on Jan 7, 2020 at 7:00am PST