Artwork copyright Jim Dine. Photo courtesy of the artist, 2004.

Artwork copyright Jim Dine. Photo courtesy Washington State University (detail).

Artwork copyright Jim Dine. Photo courtesy of Washington State University.

Artwork copyright Jim Dine. Photo courtesy of Washington State University.

Artwork copyright Jim Dine. A spontaneous memorial to the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting of April 16, 2007. Photo courtesy of Washington State University.

Artwork copyright Jim Dine. Photo courtesy Washington State University.

Artwork copyright Jim Dine. Photo courtesy Washington State University.

The Technicolor Heart (The Big One), 2004

Jim Dine
(American, born 1935)

Location: Washington State University, Pullman

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Artist Jim Dine combined bronze and oil enamel to create The Technicolor Heart (The Big One) sculpture. He refers to it as a "double sided painting." He covered it in hand tools, inspired by his earliest memories of work.

After the Virginia Tech shooting (April 16, 2007), the artwork was surrounded by small white hearts, one for each student who was murdered. The hearts were placed by Washington State University students as a spontaneous memorial to that tragic event. This is the power of public art. It enlivens our public spaces and acts as a point of conversation and connection.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Washington State University.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jim Dine is best known for his drawings and prints, and is closely connected to the development of pop art in the early 1960s in New York City. He often attached everyday objects, such as tools, rope, or shoes, to his art.

Dine lives and works in New York City, Paris (France), and Walla Walla in Southeastern Washington. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dine received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University. He has been the subject of several major museum retrospectives including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Guggenheim Museum (all three in New York City), the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.