Giant and white, can you spot the disembodied foot? This is the Modern Marriage Sculpture. It sits in the gardens by the US Embassy in Nine Elms.
The Modern Marriage Sculpture is art. Simon Fujiwara, a British-Japanese artist from Berlin, created it. He became known in 2012 after showing his work at Tate St. Ives.
The Modern Marriage Sculpture is described as reflective. It features a large foot. A ring is embedded in its sole.
The artist’s work is emotive and often autobiographical. This makes you wonder what happened to him to create this Modern Marriage Sculpture. Did he step on a wedding ring and end up in hospital?
The Spectator’s annual Worst Public Art awards shortlisted the Modern Marriage Sculpture. Some find this unfair. Although the Modern Marriage Sculpture is curiously meaningless, it’s undeniably art. That sets it apart from much modern art. Some modern art seems like art only because a label says so.
Fujiwara made his mark exhibiting at Tate St. Ives. Tate is a group of four art museums in the UK. They hold the national collections of British art from the 16th century. They also hold the national collection of modern art. The four branches are Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London. Plus, there is Tate Liverpool and Tate St. Ives in Cornwall.
The sugar tycoon Sir Henry Tate helped create Tate Britain. He gave the building and his art collection to the nation. Sidney Smith designed the Neoclassical building. It opened in 1897. The Clore Gallery, the last of six extensions, opened in 1987. It houses the world’s best J.M.W. Turner collection.
Originally called the Tate Gallery, it became Tate Britain in 2000. Then, it only displayed British art. The collection starts with Elizabethan and Jacobean pieces. The 18th and 19th centuries are well represented.
Tate Modern opened in 2000. It is in a refurbished power station on the Bankside. Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, Swiss architects, designed it. They later designed the Switch House extension.
Instead of schools or timelines, the art is arranged by subject. All 20th-century movements are included. Cubism, Futurism, and Abstract Expressionism are present. Dada, Surrealism, and Pop art are here too. Louise Nevelson, Pablo Picasso, and Piet Mondrian have works here.
Tate Liverpool opened in 1988 in a converted warehouse. It houses British and contemporary art. It includes paintings and sculptures. It also has video, installation, and performance pieces.
Tate St. Ives is in an area that became an artist colony after World War II. It overlooks a beach. It includes the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Its collection focuses on contemporary art.
So, next time you are near the US Embassy, take a moment to ponder the Modern Marriage Sculpture. What does it say about modern relationships? Is it a symbol of love or a commentary on its pitfalls?