Where Is Shuttlecocks? See It at Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

Q: How big are the Shuttlecocks?

Each of the four shuttlecocks stands 18 feet tall with a 16-foot diameter and weighs 5,500 pounds. They're made of aluminum and fiberglass-reinforced plastic, painted with polyurethane enamel. Oldenburg and van Bruggen placed them on opposite sides of the museum building in 1994.

Q: What's the concept behind Shuttlecocks?

The artists saw the Nelson-Atkins Museum building as a badminton net. The four giant shuttlecocks are positioned on opposite sides of it, as if a game were in progress. The building itself becomes part of the artwork. It was commissioned as a gift from the Sosland family of Kansas City.

Q: Were the Shuttlecocks controversial?

Yes. When first installed in 1994, critics called them 'not art' and a 'giant waste.' Today they're the museum's most recognizable icon and a beloved Kansas City landmark. The shift from controversy to affection is common with large-scale public art.

Q: Where can I see the Shuttlecocks?

On the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Admission is free. The shuttlecocks are outdoors and visible year-round, two on the north lawn and two on the south.

Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen created these four giant badminton shuttlecocks for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in 1994. Each stands nearly 18 feet tall and weighs 5,500 pounds.

The husband-and-wife team positioned the sculptures as if they had just landed on opposite sides of an imaginary net, with the museum's neoclassical building serving as the net. The playful installation transforms the formal museum grounds into a whimsical badminton court.

At 546 times the height of a standard shuttlecock, these are recognized as the world's largest shuttlecock sculptures. They have become iconic Kansas City landmarks and one of the most photographed outdoor sculptures in America.

Each of the four shuttlecocks stands 18 feet tall with a 16-foot diameter and weighs 5,500 pounds. They're made of aluminum and fiberglass-reinforced plastic, painted with polyurethane enamel. Oldenburg and van Bruggen placed them on opposite sides of the museum building in 1994.

The artists saw the Nelson-Atkins Museum building as a badminton net. The four giant shuttlecocks are positioned on opposite sides of it, as if a game were in progress. The building itself becomes part of the artwork. It was commissioned as a gift from the Sosland family of Kansas City.

Yes. When first installed in 1994, critics called them 'not art' and a 'giant waste.' Today they're the museum's most recognizable icon and a beloved Kansas City landmark. The shift from controversy to affection is common with large-scale public art.

On the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri. Admission is free. The shuttlecocks are outdoors and visible year-round, two on the north lawn and two on the south.

Shuttlecocks

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