Royal Academy Mistakes Base for Bust

Saturday, 17 June 2006 11:30

London - Britain's Royal Academy of Art put a block of slate on display, topped by a small piece of wood, in the mistaken belief it was a work of art.  The slate and wooden stick was actually a base meant to hold up a laughing human head made by British sculptor David Hensel.

But when the academy, which has an annual competition for its prestigious summer exhibition, received the work, the head arrived separately.  The academy included the chunk of stone and the small bone-shaped wooden stick in its summer exhibition in London, which showcases the work of emerging artists. 

"Given their separate submission, the two parts were judged independently," the academy said in a statement.  "The head was rejected.  The base was thought to have merit and accepted."

Hensel, 61, was bemused by the mistake.  "I've seen the funny side, but I've also seen the philosophical side. ... It shows up not just the tastes of the selectors, but also their unawareness," he said, according to the Associated Press.

Not seen as sculpture by artist.

The head, which is carved from jesmonite, took Hensel two months to create.  The plinth, cut from an old mortuary slab, took one day.

"I like the plinth as an object. I just never thought of it as a sculpture in its own right," said Hensel, who teaches sculpture at University College in Chichester, southern England.

He's still hopeful the head will be accepted as an entry in the summer exhibit, which goes to Aug. 20.  "What pleases me, though, is that it gives a lot of people the chance to think about what art is.  "The academy says the head has been safely stored, ready for collection by the artist.

From CBC Arts OnLine