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All the United States Minnesota Minneapolis Hahn/Cock
AO Edited

Hahn/Cock

One of two giant blue cockerel statues erected with an intentional double meaning.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Added By
Alan Newman
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Hahn/Cock at the Walker Art Center.   Lorie Shaull/CC BY-SA 2.0
Hahn/Cock at the Walker Art Center.   Paul VanDerWerf/cc by 2.0
Hahn/Cock at night at the Walker Art Center.   Lorie Shaull/cc by-sa 2.0
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Hahn/Cock on the Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square, 2014.   Charles D P Miller/cc by 2.0
Hahn/Cock on the top floor of the east building at the National Gallery of Art, 2016.   Ron Cogswell/cc by 2.0
  evilgreentriangle / Atlas Obscura User
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
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The giant blue cock(erel) in Minneapolis is one of two created; the other one originally stood on the Forth Plinth at London's Trafalgar Square, and is now displayed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Standing over 20 feet tall, this fiberglass statue by German artist Katerina Fritsch is a striking feature of the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Center. 

Its pair is equally striking. The London Hahn/Cock was put on display in 2013, at which point it attracted numerous attempts at humor in the press, generally associated with the erection of a big cock in the square. 

The double entendre is intentional: The artist has said she considers the statue a feminist work,  a satire on the male object being placed on a pedestal. The sly humor applies to both parts of the title; the German word "hahn" carries all the same meanings as  "cock" does in English. 

Apart from the nearby "Spoonbridge and Cherry" sculpture, the big blue bird is the most eye-catching of the works in this fantastic Minneapolis sculpture garden.

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Statues Sculptures Sculpture Gardens Birds Art Animals Chickens Puns

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Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

Meg, evilgreentriangle, Michelle Cassidy, jlord7

  • Meg
  • evilgreentriangle
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • jlord7

Published

July 2, 2018

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Hahn/Cock
725 Vineland Pl
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55403
United States
44.96845, -93.289195
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