Allen Jones

At the end of the right lane you can see a reproduction of an advertising image, a collaboration between famed British artist Allen Jones and the Swiss hosiery brand Fogal in the early 1970s. Comprising a mural that was installed at Basel train station, Jones’ project bridged the gap between art, design and commerce. A photograph of the original installation in Basel complements the display. Allen Jones' work is often (and rightfully) regarded as having problematic sexual politics in his use of gender polarity and the commodification of femininity by the mass media. His sculptures Hatstand, Table, and Chair (1969) do not make the usual separation between fine and applied arts by using mannequins as ready-mades. Instead, by making the mannequins himself, he emulates the manufacturing techniques and visual language with respect to the craft, and therefore uses a gendered meta-language which cannot be so easily dismissed.