Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Nejjarine Museum of Wooden Arts & Crafts
Caesars Palace Spiral Escalators
Pig Rock as seen from the road
Pig Rock
Cone and playground games.
Parque Los Conos
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Our producer Manolo Morales would spend his final days perusing the shelves at Book Off.
Where Would You Go to Wait for the Apocalypse?
This event showcasing the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity culminates with a Grand Tasting on August 23.
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Traverse City’s Event Season
She’ll get you and your little dog too.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Explore Witch History Without the Kitsch?
How to Turn Your Road Trip Into a Nature Scavenger Hunt

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Connecticut Ridgefield Watermelons on a Greek Statue
Watermelons on a Greek Statue is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

Gastro Obscura

Watermelons on a Greek Statue

What appears to be an act of fruit vandalism is actually a cultural statement.

Ridgefield, Connecticut

Added By
Lew Blank
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Close up of statue   Courtesy of Steve Coulter
Watermelons on a Hera statue   Courtesy of Steve Coulter
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

On the front lawn of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, there is a statue of Hera, the Greek goddess of women and marriage, that appears to be vandalized by a sweet and refreshing fruit. Whole, halved, and quartered, this beautiful stone statue is covered in watermelons from head to toe—or so it appears.

If you come close enough to the sculpture, it will become apparent the watermelons on the statue of Hera are not actually real melons. They were intentionally put there by artist Toni Matelli, who specializes in defacing the sculptures of religious and cultural icons to make a statement. The watermelons are hand-painted and made of cast bronze. It makes for quite a surprise upon first glance.

Matelli’s intention with this piece is to challenge what we believe to be distasteful. Why is it uncouth for a stone sculpture to be covered in fruit? Better yet, Matelli asks us to consider the irony of pieces of a stone statue that appears to be decaying faster than the fruit that covers it. 

The sculpture and its watermelons are part of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum’s Main Street sculpture series and will be on display until October 21, 2017.

Update: The statue was removed January of 2018.

Related Tags

Statues Greece Mythology Fruit Food Art Sculptures

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

e1savage

  • e1savage

Published

June 28, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.theridgefieldpress.com/89078/whats-with-the-watermelon-statue/
Watermelons on a Greek Statue
258 Main St
Ridgefield, Connecticut
United States
41.277098, -73.497084
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Weir Farm National Historic Site

Wilton, Connecticut

miles away

Wolf Conservation Center

South Salem, New York

miles away

Balanced Rock

North Salem, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Connecticut

Connecticut

United States

Places 165
Stories 11

Nearby Places

Weir Farm National Historic Site

Wilton, Connecticut

miles away

Wolf Conservation Center

South Salem, New York

miles away

Balanced Rock

North Salem, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Connecticut

Connecticut

United States

Places 165
Stories 11

Related Places

  • ‘Minor Triumph’

    Seoul, South Korea

    ‘Minor Triumph’

    Children’s timeless joy is remembered in the fast-developing Myeongdong district of Seoul.

  • Frederikssund, Denmark

    'Min Indre Svinehund' ('My Inner Beast')

    This striking pig statue was part of a 1993 guerilla art project against racism.

  • Fontaine du Soleil

    Nice, France

    Fontaine du Soleil (The Sun Fountain)

    This saucy statue once caused outrage among locals.

  • The moai statue faces Lyall Bay.

    Wellington, New Zealand

    Moai Statue

    One of the iconic moai of Rapa Nui stands guard in Lyall Bay as a symbol of the friendship between New Zealand and Chile.

  • Knislinge, Sweden

    'Fideicommissum'

    A bronze, peeing self-portrait protests unequal inheritance rights.

  • A bronze fast of a female face atop a pedestal with a lighthouse in the background

    New York, New York

    Girl Puzzle Monument

    An art installation commemorates journalist Nellie Bly's undercover reporting inside a New York asylum.

  • David Livingstone Statue

    Blantyre, Scotland

    David Livingstone Statue

    The only statue ever crafted by award-winning animator Ray Harryhausen.

  • Yulia, the trapeze artist.

    Bratislava, Slovakia

    ‘The Six White Mice’

    A series of bronze circus performers spread throughout a Slovakian shopping center.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.