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Label Text These childlike and somewhat awkward faces are two from a series of twelve sculptures titled MOONRISE. Each sculpture depicts an exaggerated expression and is named after a month of the year. East. january has a mischievous appearance with its toothy grin, squinty eyes, and pointy nose; East. august has a sympathetic look conveyed through the head's tilt, hum-drum mouth, wide-open eyes, and button nose. A texture resembling finger marks in clay covers each, adding to their youthful charm. Ugo Rondinone created this series in homage to the moon in a time when our day-to-day reliance upon it has waned and its mythic significance has faded. Yet despite modern man's changed relationship with the moon, Rondinone is drawn to it for its universal accessibility and its significance as a marker of the passage of time.
Published References"John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park", Lea Rosson DeLong, ed., Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa, 1923, pp. 114-117
DimensionsOverall: 94 3/4 × 47 1/2 × 48 1/4 in., 1100 lb. (240.7 × 120.7 × 122.6 cm, 499 kg.)
Accession Number 2015.19
Classificationssculpture
SignedU R 2005 (bottom edge, back proper right)
InscriptionsMOONRISE E january (bottom edge, back)
Edition1/3, + 1AP
Provenance(Matthew Marks Gallery); John and Mary Pappajohn [purchased from previous, 2007]; Des Moines Art Center [gift from previous, 2015]

Images (1)

Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines

Audio (2)

moonrise. east. january
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Ugo Rondinone
2006
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Ugo Rondinone
2003
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Tony Smith
1961, fabricated 1989
Photo Credit: © Cameron Campbell 2009
Tony Smith
1962, fabricated 2005
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Keith Haring
1989, fabricated 2009
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Jaume Plensa
2007
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Mark di Suvero
1987
Photo Credit: Richard Sanders, Des Moines
David Smith
1942
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Charles Joseph Biederman
1960-1966
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines
Tony Cragg
1988