Die Humpty-Dumpty-Maschine der totalen Zukunft
Die Humpty-Dumpty-Maschine der totalen Zukunft is a bronze sculpture created in 2010 by Jonathan Meese. It was installed at Berlin’s Alte Nationalgalerie from 2011 to 2015. The work began with the concept of an “animal with naked woman,” but the animal became a machine and the human figure disappeared. It was first developed as a geometric sketch, then as a small model, and later as a large polystyrene model that was finally worked in bronze. The sculpture was cast at the Hermann Noack art foundry, where specialists ensured a stable base structure and completed the final mechanical and chemical surface treatments.
June 2012 © Andreas Praefcke · CC BY 3.0
June 2012 © Andreas Praefcke · CC BY 3.0
November 2013 © OTFW · CC BY-SA 3.0
October 2013 © Miriam Guterland · CC BY-SA 3.0
November 2013 © OTFW · CC BY-SA 3.0
Identification | |
| Title | Die Humpty-Dumpty-Maschine der totalen Zukunft |
| Translated title | The Humpty-Dumpty Machine of the Total Future |
| Type | bronze sculpture |
Creator | |
| Artist | Jonathan Meese |
| Year created | 2010 |
Materials | |
| Material | bronze |
Technique | |
| Casting | cast in bronze at Bildgießerei Noack |
| Surface finishing | mechanical and chemical surface treatment by Noack specialists |
| Creation process | First made as a geometric sketch, then developed into a small model and a large polystyrene model before being worked in bronze. |
| Foundry involvement | Employees of the Noack foundry helped ensure a stable base structure for the details. |
Discovery and provenance | |
| Development of concept | The original concept was "animal with naked woman"; the animal became a machine and the human figure disappeared. |
Appearance | |
| Appearance | A colorful, motley flying machine made from flea-market finds |
| Visible details | Geometric forms, the Iron Cross, and a beer bottle |
| Depicted subject | A futuristic aircraft-like machine |
Iconography and meaning | |
| Artist's interpretation | Meese described the work as future-oriented and forward-looking. |
| Artist quote | "The baby spaceship flies only forward, without a rearview mirror, without a railing and without nostalgia, super, super, super." |
| Inspiration sources | The Nautilus, Emma the steam locomotive, Lok 1414, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, vehicles from the Mad Max films, Ben-Hur's chariot, the Snow Queen's sleigh, the Sandman's vehicle, the time machine, and Moby Dick |
| Title reference | "Humpty Dumpty" refers to the talking egg in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There. |
Location and ownership | |
| Installation location | Kolonnadenhof in front of the Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany |
| Installation period | 2011–2015 |
| Displayed in St. Moritz | At the end of August 2011, at the Art Masters event on the Walk of Art in front of Badrutt’s Palace Hotel. |
History and restoration | |
| Installation in Berlin | Installed in March 2011 after the Alte Nationalgalerie reopened in 2010 following renovation. |
Significance | |
| Role in project | Beginning of a project series about the role of representative monuments in contemporary sculpture. |
| Educational canon inclusion | Included among Die Zeit's 100-work educational canon in autumn 2018, compiled by the editorial team from readers' letters, spanning film/video, music, literature, architecture, and art. |