Donald Lipski’s “Spot,” at the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, features a 24-foot-tall Dalmatian balancing a taxi (yes, that's a real New York City cab) on its nose. Photo Credit George Etheredge for The New York Times
Thank you to Nancy Princenthal of the New York Times for including Donald Lipski’s “Spot” in their look at outdoor artwork around New York City. Read the excerpt below.
“‘Spot’ invokes a couple of generations of animated films starring anthropomorphic cars, as well as even more familiar children’s movies featuring dogs, specifically “101 Dalmatians.” Jeff Koons’s giant floral puppy is somewhere in the mix, too.
Mr. Lipski, a veteran public artist with an acute sense of materials, purpose and place, is canny about all these references. But this colossal canine (made with the assistance of the realist sculptor Chris Collins) is uniquely irresistible. Its eyes bright, stance firm, tail curled happily and ears trustingly down, it seems ready to hold this impossible balancing act forever.
Mr. Lipski has said that besides wanting this work to be playful, he intended it “to have assets we hope to find in our doctors: focus, confidence, patience and sweetness.” At the same time, “Spot” opens a little door in the real world, wormholing straight to the joyful absurdity of a happy kid’s dream life, a destination that never gets old.”