Free Money is the title of an enormous bronze sculpture that will be installed in front of the Hunter Museum of American Art on Friday.
Standing more than nine feet tall, Free Money depicts a cartoon-like couple dancing atop a sack of money. The sculpture is the work of Tom Otterness, an artist known for depicting plump, often cheerful figures formed out of cast plaster or metal. His sculptures often have a sense of movement and a playful, comic quality.
Considered one of the premier public artists working in the United States, Mr. Otterness has exhibited work in the U.S. and abroad. He often uses images from popular culture to create works that explore subjects like power and money, fairy tales and myth.
“Tom Otterness often uses humor to comment on social issues,” said Nandini Makrandi, curator of contemporary art for the Hunter Museum. “Free Money is the centerpiece of his series that explores the problem of poverty and the gaps that exist in our society.”
The topics of wealth and greed frequently play a role in Mr. Otterness's work. But the key to his popularity has always been humor.
“In the piece, Free Money, the whimsical couple represents the everyday working person,” Makrandi said. “As the couple jubilantly dances on a sack full of money, the viewer is left to wonder, ‘How did they get the money? Did they find it or win the lottery? Does money always bring happiness?’”
Mr. Otterness was born in 1952 in Wichita, Ks. His works have been displayed in New York City parks—most notably in Battery Park City and in the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station—and other cities around the world. He graduated from Wichita’s Southeast High School in 1970 and soon left to study in New York City. In the late 1970s he emerged as one of the leaders of a young artists’ group dedicated to an art of social engagement. Mr. Otterness’s work can be found in museums and public sites around the world. He is represented by Marlborough Gallery.