Otterness, Tom

The American artist Tom Otterness wants to create art primarily for the public; his small round bronze figures, which are often found in gardens and parks, always appear busy and cheerful. They usually can be found in groups, as construction workers, bookworms or bankers, depending on the environment.

There are one hundred little figures in a subway station in New York and 23 sculptures telling fairy tales on the beach of Scheveningen in the Netherlands. In Cleveland, Ohio, the little creatures climb in a library garden; in New York, but also in Hobart, Australia, Otterness has designed playgrounds with his figures.