Dropped Cone

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“Dropped Cone” by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, 2001
Neumarkt
Cologne, September 2024

“It is one of the unofficial landmarks on Cologne's Neumarkt and marks your entrance to the Cologne pedestrian zone. For many years, a giant ice cream cone has been on display at the top of Cologne's Neumarkt gallery. It is turned upside down and rammed into the corner of the building on the north side of the Neumarkt. A few drops of ice cream run down and threaten to smear the windows of the shopping arcade. The commission for the artwork did not come from the city, but from the owner of the Neumarkt Gallery. The artist was free to choose the location and decided on the corner of the building rather than on the street: ‘The ice cream cone as a subject was irresistible to us, especially as we detected the word ‘cone’ concealed in the letters of the city's name,’ the artist wrote on his website, alluding to cone and cologne. According to the artist, the ice cream flavor is vanilla.” (Why Has an Ice Cream Cone Been Hanging at Neumarkt for 20 Years?, Verliebt in Köln)