Iconic City Landmark Temporarily Relocates

The “Spoonbridge and Cherry” sculpture marks one of Minneapolis’ most recognizable features. However, on Nov. 16 the cherry portion of the sculpture was removed and began transport to New York to be refinished.

The sculpture requires refinishing after around 10-12 years of wear-and-tear, in order to maintain its color and finish. The firm in New York, Fine Art Finishes, specializes in this sculpture type, having previously refinished the “Spoon- bridge and Cherry” 10 years ago and upkeeping the sculptor duo Claes Olden- burg and Coosje van Bruggen’s (creators of the “Spoonbridge and Cherry”) other pieces.

Because the cherry is such a large piece, it is difficult to repaint, and previous touch-ups had not been as thorough when it was still attached to the spoonbridge. So, the Walker Arts Center decided to send the sculpture portion to a company that can thoroughly repaint the sculpture to last another decade.

The sculpture is set to return to the Twin Cities in mid-January.