Pinkerton, B 04-11-03

Artist Jun Kaneko (Japanese, b. 1942)

Place of OriginJapan

Date2004

DimensionsH: 69 in. (175.3 cm); W: 59 in. (149.9 cm); Depth: 47 in. (119.4 cm) (dealer)

MediumBronze with patina and steel table with patina.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds given by Ruth and Ralph Delman in memory of David K. Welles, Sr.

Object number

2008.149

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Sculpture Garden

Label TextThough nearly 6 feet tall and weighing more than a ton, Pinkerton exudes calm and serenity. The closed eyes and relaxed expression are based on sculptures of the Buddha. The head also recalls the mysterious spirituality of the awe-inspiring stone heads on Easter Island. Artist Jun Kaneko, who is best known for his monumental ceramic pieces, likes the head form because viewers have an immediate connection to it. Using such an instantly recognizable form can, as he explains, “shrink the distance between viewer and object.” The title comes from the character Lieutenant Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton, the American naval officer who lives with then abandons the innocent Japanese girl, Cio-Cio San, in Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly.Published ReferencesIwai Mieko, ed., and Hashimoto Keiko, Christopher Stephens, trans., Jun Kaneko, Osaka, The National Museum of Art, 2006, cover illustration, p. 58.

Reich, Paula, Toledo Museum of Art: Map and Guide, London, Scala, 2009, p. 64, repr. (col.)

Exhibition HistoryOsaka, National Museum of Art, Jun Kaneko, 2006.

Ketchum, ID, Gail Severn Gallery, Jun Kaneko, 2008.