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If not for the title of this blog, you might be asking yourself “Who are those confused tourists?” In fact, they’re made not from flab and polyester — as real tourists are — but from fiberglass and epoxy. They’re a 1988 work called “Tourists II” by Duane Hanson, probably the foremost hyper-real sculpture artist in the world. By taking direct body molds of real people and then meticulously creating three-dimensional casts from synthetic resins, Hanson is able to fool the eye — often in person, as well as in photographs of his work.
It’s far from a simple process, however. Each figure is cast in several sections before being joined together, and then painted in careful detail. Props, clothing and hair are selected. The entire process often took more than a year per sculpture. Some of his works are made from material durable enough to survive outdoors for long periods, like his sculpture “Man Riding Lawnmower,” below:
Hanson died after a long battle with cancer in 1996, but the hyper-realness of his work has yet to be surpassed. Here’s a nice explication of the sentiment behind his work, from a USA Today article (of all things):
In 1973, Hanson moved from New York City to Florida, where he focused on representing what he considered the familiar and ordinary Americans, such as tourists, shoppers, and sunbathers. Like the Pop artists of the 1960s, he was interested in depicting the commonplace in uncommon ways. Although his realism sometimes was unflattering or even brutal, his stated intention was to ennoble his subjects by turning them into art. Despite his apparent shift away from politically engaged themes, the emotionalism of these earlier works remained, depicting quiet suffering, melancholic introspection, or resignation of these people. Hanson’s “slice-of-life” figures and their ordinary activities are frozen forever in their poses and actions. Perhaps the ultimate paradox of Hanson’s realism is that his lifelike figures seem incapable of escaping their situations. In the end, the courage with which they seem to endure this fate expresses the dignity and nobility that Hanson found in the common American.
To see larger versions of these works, click here.
Comments (21)
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Unreal! Totally!
posted by Claudia on 12-12-2007 at 7:47 am
that tourist sleeping on his bags is actually in the orlando airport – i remember seeing it when i was younger and wondering why that man was sleeping in a glass display case.
posted by samantha on 12-12-2007 at 8:16 am
There was one, I think, of a sercurity guard in a museum. It was actually on display, but people went up to “him” and asked questions. Needless to say, they were not answered, but still! That’s amazingly lifelike and awesome.
posted by bryn on 12-12-2007 at 8:17 am
Yes, the security guard is at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. It freaked me out the first time I saw it when I was a kid. He’s looking a little dated now, since he was made in 1975, but he still looks lifelike!
posted by Sarah on 12-12-2007 at 8:37 am
This stuff reminds me of another artist I stumbled upon recently. Just as hyper-realistic, but sometimes larger (or smaller) than real life. Freaky stuff.
Check out:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2005/12/29/GA2005122900888_index_frames.htm?startat=1
or:
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/ron_mueck/
posted by Bre on 12-12-2007 at 8:38 am
I remember studying his work in one of my fine arts classes in college. It was a seminar style class, and each week every student would do a presentation on an artist in that weeks medium. Duane Hanson was my sculptor, and I remember my classmates being so confused until they realized that my slides were actually of sculptures, not photographs.
posted by kayrin on 12-12-2007 at 8:41 am
There was an exhibit of his work in Omaha a few years ago. Really spooky seeing so many in one place. The only negative is that their hair styles seem to date the pieces.
The man on the bench resides in my friends’ dining room.
posted by Chris on 12-12-2007 at 8:50 am
I can’t remember the name of the Scandinavian sculptor right now, but his work is amazing… a little more surreal than this, but still. The lifelike detail reminds me of him. Any ideas who I’m talking about? I saw his work in Dallas at the MFA this summer.
Agh! I can’t remember his name!
posted by Sarah on 12-12-2007 at 8:51 am
OK. We totally posted that simultaneously, I don’t care what the time says. Ha.
RON MUECK.
Anyways, it was amazing to see them up close.
posted by Sarah on 12-12-2007 at 8:52 am
Fascinating stuff. Imagine what he could have done with the laser-scanning equipment they use nowadays to make 3-D computer animated figures for movie special effects.
posted by SpaceMonkeyX on 12-12-2007 at 8:56 am
There used to be one of his sculptures in the old K&B Building in New Orleans.
They decided to place the figure near the elevators… So, when you got in the elevator, you would hold the door open waiting for the person to get on…
It was pretty funny… As long as you weren’t running late.
posted by stuart on 12-12-2007 at 9:12 am
Very cool! I’m almost positive this guy was featured on the old (Jack Palance version) Ripley’s Believe it Or Not TV show.
posted by Roger on 12-12-2007 at 9:13 am
These are great! I hope they come to NYC at some point. It’s nice to see sculptures of real people that everyone can relate to.
posted by Michele on 12-12-2007 at 9:13 am
The Milwaukee Museum of Art has what just looks like a janitor leaning up against a wall, but it is actually a sculpture. I would bet green money that Hanson was the person who made it. It so real that there is a little sign next to him/it asking people not to mess with it to see if he is a real person trying to fake it.
posted by Wig Master on 12-12-2007 at 9:19 am
I was a docent at the San Antonio Museum of Art when it first opened. Its first big exhibit was called “Real, Really Real and Superreal”. It featured a Duane Hansen sculpture of a dumpy little lady in a polyester suit and overpermed hair leaning against a wall and engrossed in a paperback. When I took kids through the exhibit, I’d always stop in front of “her” for a short talk. As I talked, I’d slowly back up toward “her”, getting closer and closer. I never had a problem getting the kids’ complete attention. Their eyes were riveted on me, waiting for drama. At the point of completely invading “her” personal space, I’d reveal that what they were looking at was a sculpture. They loved being led along and surprised! I loved their reactions.
posted by Alice on 12-12-2007 at 10:22 am
There is a security guard sculpture at the Midwest Airlines Conventions center in Milwaukee. I was at a trade show when a bus caught on fire outside the building. A man ran in a repeatedly instructed the sculpture to call the fire dept. He was more than a little annoyed that the guard wouldn’t even look at him!!
posted by Chris on 12-12-2007 at 11:23 am
While studying abroad in London I fortunate enough to visit The Saatchi Gallery. Upon coming across “The Traveller”, sculpture of the tourist sleeping on the ground with his shirt open, I remember asking a mate of mine “is that gentleman okay? do you think we should ask an attendant to check on him?” These sculputes are beyond lifelike. I highly reccommend seeing them in person.
posted by Matt on 12-12-2007 at 1:17 pm
Whoa! Those look so real! The only thing that tipped me off was the eyes, which looked a little dead, but aside from that, I had no idea they were fake until i read the post.
posted by heather on 12-12-2007 at 1:38 pm
Years (and years) ago I stumbled across Hanson’s work and was completely smitten. I have a picture book of his work, but have never had the good fortune to see it “live”. A whole life story in each. . .beautiful. His older war pieces are just heart-wrenching. Thanks for the article.
posted by Denise on 12-13-2007 at 8:09 am
in high school we had books of various artist and one day i saw his work and i would just sit there and stare. but i forgot about these works when there was no more art class. thanks for reminding me of how awsome they are.
posted by meta on 12-13-2007 at 10:14 am
The man on the bench is definitely my favorite. It’s incredible. Not because it’s so lifelike but because it was apparently maid 1-2 years after the artist died.
He died in 96, the website says it was made in 97-98. Spooky twightlight zone stuff going on there.
posted by Drew on 12-13-2007 at 1:47 pm