Weird Jill Barad Chair

December 29, 2017 11:02 AM

Netflix's series "The Toys That Made Us" dedicates an episode to the history of Barbie. This epsiode has multiple shots from an interview with former Mattel CEO Jill Barad. In the background of that interview is a (NSFW, sculptural, weird nudity) very singular chair/objet. Does anyone have any knowledge, background, or color on what that Melted Chair Lady object is?
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Argh. My museum has a very similar sculpture but I’m blanking on the artist’s name or title, and am not at work so I can’t fire up my database and search. Hopefully someone else will swoop in but if not I will get back to you in a few days. Male sculptor, fiberglass, sixties.
posted by PussKillian at 1:09 PM on December 29, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Hah! As soon as I posted I figured out a search. Look at Frank Gallo’s sculpture.
posted by PussKillian at 1:13 PM on December 29, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: It appears to be Girl in a Sling Chair by Frank Gallo. Frank Gallo made at least three of them: this one (which could be Barad's, but the coloring looks a bit off) and apparently one in the Playboy Mansion (which Barad might have bought when the Mansion was sold in 2016 or perhaps earlier) and one originally at the Whitney and then sold to the MoMA.

Here's a sketch corresponding to the sculpture.

Gallo also did a vaguely similar sculpture called Man in a Rocker.
posted by jedicus at 2:28 PM on December 29, 2017 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you! That is definitely the one, or one of its siblings, anyway.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 2:54 PM on December 29, 2017