Melonensäule / Melon Column

In 2017, the “Skulptur Projekte” took place in Münster, with the city of Marl as a tandem partner. The plan was to temporarily exchange sculptures which were to include Thomas Schütte’s now famous “Cherry Column” from 1987. However, as the sandstone column shaft in particular was deemed too delicate for transport, the artist suggested realizing the “Melon Column” instead, which he had presented as an alternative at the time. The material was not to be the sandstone that is typical of the city of Münster but the concrete typical of Marl. The sculpture was to be 10 percent larger than the one in Münster, hence five metres high – a challenge even for cast concrete. As in Münster, the twin column with its three seedless melon segments was placed in a busy car park, which not only ironized its monumental character but also created formal correspondences between the shiny red and green painted fruit and the bodies of the parked cars.
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