Updated: 02/20/2009 7:16 PM KSTP.com | Print Story
By: Chris Keating

KEATING: 'Cherry' gets a paint job on Monday

On Monday the 23rd, take an early lunch and head over to the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Museum.  The Cherry on the Spoonbridge and Cherry piece will be lifted off  with a crane and taken away for a cleaning and paint job. 

The people at the Walker say the 2000 pound stainless steel  Cherry has been cleaned three other times since being erected in 1988, most recently in 2006.  But this will be the first time the work is done off site.  For five weeks the spoon and cherry will be separated.  There are several layers of paint and epoxy that'll be removed and reapplied so it shines brightly in the Spring sunshine.

The piece was created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen.  And I am told they had to sign off on the red paint being used so that it looks exactly as it did when first installed.