Sunday Show & Tell #11

One of the benefits of being a chronic pack-rat is that along with the frequent outbursts of “Why the hell am I keeping this?!” occasionally you are moved to say, “Wow! I forgot I had this!”

I found the twins at my local Sally Ann a few years ago…

I couldn’t believe my luck that I had found two identical Berts. I surmised that they, themselves, had been toys of twins. I mean, why else would you have two Berts? Unless, of course, you were going to do this…

BERT-ON-BERT ACTION

I know, I know – shame on me. Taking an icon of childhood and dumping it into a steaming pit of sacrilege. Well…Bert has always come across as a creepy, unibrowed bastard to me and truth be told it was the toys’ lurid expression that inspired the pose. There is, believe it or not, an art historical context. A few more Berts and I could pay homage to Charles Ray and his “Oh! Charley, Charley, Charley“

Notwithstanding my personal preoccupation with multiples, finding these two Berts fueled an addiction to find more. Not just any Berts, THESE Berts. I foresee a whole installation of work created out of Berts [possible titles: A Bert in the Hand…Killing Two Berts with One Stone].

NEED MORE BERTS.

So…anyone out there with vintage Bert dolls packed in your attics, please forward them to yours truly. I can pay you with eternal gratitude. That, and I’ll credit you in “The artist would like to acknowledge the support of…”