Chrysler Museum of Art Makes a Splash

NORFOLK, Va. – (March 12, 2014) – The Chrysler Museum of Art will host the Rubber Duck Project by Dutch Artist Florentijn Hofman as part of the museum’s grand reopening. The 40-foot rubber duck will float in the waters of the Hague alongside the museum May 17–26.

“The Rubber Duck heard about all of the excitement surrounding the Chrysler’s reopening and wanted to see the expanded museum for himself,” said Bill Hennessey, director of the Chrysler Museum of Art. “We hope residents and visitors will join him and enjoy everything we have to offer.”

The Rubber Duck project has travelled around the world making visits in Sydney, Hong Kong and Tokyo. This will be the second stop in the United States. The inflatable sculpture spent three weeks in Pittsburgh, Pa. last fall. The artist believes The Rubber Duck Project has healing properties and can help bring people around the world together.

The Chrysler Museum of Art will reopen on May 10, following an extensive $24 million renovation and expansion designed to showcase the Museum’s nationally recognized collection and to support new exhibitions and educational programming.

About Florentijn Hofman:
Florentijn Hofman’s (Delfzijl, 1977) sculptures are large, very large, and are bound to make an impression. Rubber Duck (2007) for example: a gigantic 40 foot high yellow rubber duck. It is an inflatable, based on the standard model that children from all four corners of the world are familiar with. The impressive rubber duck travels the world and pops up in many different cities: from Auckland and Sao Paulo to Osaka always making a very positive artistic statement that immediately connects people to their childhood.

Although artists do not always tend to value reactions of passers-by, for Hofman the audience is an essential part of his work. An encounter with one of Hofman’s extraordinary sculptures invites us to stand still for a moment and to look; to really look and to take a picture if you like. Said Hofman: “My sculptures cause an uproar, astonishment and put a smile on your face. They give people a break from their daily routines. Passers-by stop in front of them, get off their bicycle and enter into conversation with other spectators. People are making contact with each other again. That is the effect of my sculptures in the public domain.”

About the Chrysler Museum of Art

The Chrysler Museum of Art is one of America’s great mid-sized museums. It is home to a remarkable collection of 30,000 objects ranging ancient Egyptian artifacts to contemporary art. The collection is particularly strong in European and American painting and sculpture and is a museum within the museum when it comes to glass art. The Museum offers a dynamic program of changing exhibitions and educational programs, both in the 50 galleries of its main building and in adjacent Chrysler Glass Studio.

The Museum is located at One Memorial Place in Norfolk, VA. General Admission is always free, and for additional information visit: www.chrysler.org

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Media Contacts:
Virginia Hilton
Meridian Group
(757) 340-7425
Virginia@themeridiangroup.com

Cheryl Little
Chrysler Museum of Art
(757) 333-6295
clittle@chrysler.org