By Paul Gessell

Ottawa fell in love with Australian artist Ron Mueck in 2007, when 16 of his hyper-realistic sculptures of over-sized and under-sized people came to the National Gallery of Canada. In fact, more than 83,000 people came to the springtime show, compared with the 10,000 who normally attend contemporary art exhibitions at the gallery that time of year.

Ottawans adored the exhibition of fibreglass and silicon creations so much that two local wealthy art patrons F. Harvey Benoit and his wife, Lynne Freiburger-Benoit, gave the gallery $500,000 to help purchase one of Mueck’s sculptures in the exhibition, “A Girl.” This replica of an anatomically correct baby girl is almost five-metres-long, fresh out of the womb, and already defiant looking.

So, what has Mueck been up to since? (more…)