Nasher Sculpture Center

The Gossiper II derives from the artificial world of Dubuffet's Hourloupe series, developed in the 1960s and featuring an exuberant style of broad, wavey lines, segmented forms, and bold color. Invented by the artist "just for the sound of it," the word Hourloupe suggested to Dubuffet something "fairytale-like and grotesque." With its mammoth hands, giant chair, and patterned graphics, The Gossiper II presides over a world of whimsy and fantasy. Initially carved out of soft expanded polystyrene, The Gossiper II was then cast in a more durable epoxy resin. The version seen here is an enlargement of an initial four foot tall cast, with painted lines painstakingly transferred onto its surface.