A Group of Colored "Saints" at Museum of Modern Art

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Tahlib

  "Figurengruppe (Group of Figures)" 2006–08 (fabricated 2010–11)
By Katharina Fritsch. Image via Instagram by Niccolo Cosme

NEW YORK --- Last week, photographer Niccolo Cosme tweeted: "Colored saints and statues at the MOMA, NYC @ Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)" and we all got excited about this colorful assortment of Saints in Manhattan. The grouping, "Figurengruppe (Group of Figures)", by contemporary German artist Katharina Fritsch (b. 1956) made its debut in the MOMA Sculpture Garden last summer. Conceived in 2006–08, the work features nine life-size sculptures of, among other figures, St. Michael, a Madonna, a giant, and a snake, all rendered in precise detail and finished in bold colors. Religious symbolism and references to mythology abound. More of Katharina's playfully sacred sculptures are currently on view in the Midwest at the Art Institute of Chicago through November.