Bouquet

2001

The New York artist JoAnne Carson’s Bouquet is a big, fantastic representation of a floral arrangement. Its stems are assembled from copper, fiberglass, and resin, bolted to a base of steel, while the individual flowers and leaves are made from thermoplastic, which becomes stiff when dry. Despite the rigidity of the materials, the overall effect is one of fragile beauty, heightened by the delicate turquoise and purple-blue color of the blooms. With its mixture of recognizable and imaginary flowers, this very decorative, oversize piece conveys a sense of otherworldly fantasy.