Adam and Eve Fernando Botero’s Genesis

1. Adam and EveFernando Botero’s Genesis Andrew Bandini, Ally Golden, Aaliyah Hay, Andree Hoolihan, and Rebecca Zinsley

2. Adam and Eve

3. Adam and Eve: Basic FActs • 1990 • Sculptor: Fernando Botero • Description: Group of one male and one female figure • Materials: bronze with dark brown patina • Dimensions: Adam: 141 x 67 x 38 in. including base Eve: 138 x 56 x 46 in. including base

4. What Was The Value of Adam and Eve? • Adam and Eve are two of 14 bronze sculptures crafted by the artist Fernando Botero that are situated around New York City as part of the Botero in New York exhibition. • Commissioned by the Public Arts Fund, Botero in New York, particularly Adam and Eve, exposes the public to art in a non-traditional setting – a shopping mall, rather than a museum. • The Public Art Fund’s hopes were that viewers would learn more about Botero’s vision by providing a fresh viewpoint. The public seemed to show great interest and fascination in the sculptures. • “In our normal lives, you really can’t go up and touch someone’s genitals,” said Fernanda Bennett, the deputy director of the Nassau County Museum of Art on Long Island. • Estimated Value: $2,573,000

5. What is The Value of Adam and Eve? • The statues attract many to the shopping mall in the Time Warner Building. • Although both statues are very unique, most viewers tend to interact with Adam. His penis is a lighter and shinier hue compared to the rest of his body, which shows that many viewers have rubbed it. • In 2012, The Shops at Columbus Circle posted an article regarding the statues on its website. The author of the article expressed her gratitude towards the statue, stating that the statues bring an important part of art history to the mall. • The statues not only add value to the popularity of the mall and to the mall’s role with artwork in New York City, but is also known for granting good luck. According to some Adam and Evefanatics, rubbing Adam’s penis gives good luck with male genital health.

6. Eve’s attention-grabbing ability • In 30 minutes, we recorded 552 people walk past Eve. Out of those 552 people, only 60 people, however, acknowledged the statues. • Some of the most interesting interactions we witnessed was how many people seemed to be intrigued by Eve’s backside, taking pictures with and around it. Many kids were also attracted to the statues, even some parents pointed Eve out to their kids.

7. Adam’s attention-grabbing ability • The total number of mall patrons who walked past Adam was 312, and, of that group, 255 people ignored the artwork. • 57 people stopped to look at the artwork, while 26 of these people stopped to take a picture with it. • The majority of the people taking a picture seemed to be tourists, which was confirmed by the subsequent interviews that took place. • Many seemed jarred, even amused, by the statue’s rather prevalent male anatomy. 7 of the people taking pictures with the statue aimed directly at Adam’s genitals, disregarding the artwork itself. Along with this, 4 people grabbed at the statue’s penis, 3 of which were young children and one of which was a man of around 30 years old. (Note: the same 3 children who did this also smacked the statue’s bottom.)

8. audience reactions to adam and eve: Mother and DAughter • “My mother was a housekeeper for this very wealthy family in San Francisco, and they had a bunch of pieces by Botero. Now he’s here!”

9. audience reactions to adam and eve: Young Teens • “Very nice!” • “Very ‘artistic’” • “I think it is rambunctious!”

10. audience reactions to adam and eve: Older Teens • “Awesome!” • “Well, they’re very big…”

11. audience reactions to adam and eve: “Selfie” TAkers • “I think they’re ridiculous!”
 • “They’re very shocking.” • “No, shocking is the real people in Times Square!”

12. Adam and the Phallic Stage • According to Freud, the third psychosexual stage of development a person goes through is the “Phallic Stage.” • This occurs from the ages of three to six years old, where children become aware of anatomical sex differences, causing a large amount of curiosity regarding genitalia and related issues. • Since 75% of the people who touched Adam’s penis were boys around the age of six, it is likely that this theory came into play.

13. Further questions • What can we learn from the audience’s reactions? • Do reactions tell us something about value? • To what extent does the audience decide value and to what extent is it inherent? • Is Adam a social experiment about the sexual obsession of mankind? Is there a reason why viewers are more likely to notice Adam’s penis rather than notice Adam’s other features.