Ugo Rondinone's 45 Clowns Take Over Boijmans Van Beuningen

The Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam presents the first Dutch solo exhibition of Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone, featuring 45 life-sized clown sculptures as the centerpiece. Titled 'Vocabulary of Solitude,' the exhibition occupies the prestigious Bodon Galleries. Each clown is depicted in a specific action—eating, sleeping, walking, or simply breathing—representing moments of a solitary day. Rondinone uses the clown mask and costume to neutralize hyperrealistic facial features, leveling differences of gender and ethnicity. Accompanying the clowns are works inspired by the rainbow spectrum, including giant shoes hung by laces, candles, clock faces, semicircular mandalas, and a collective piece made from approximately 3,000 rainbow drawings sent by children from Rotterdam and surrounding areas in response to a video call by the artist. The museum held a special afternoon opening exclusively for the young co-creators. The exhibition runs at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam.