Hammering Man

Next to the Messeturm on Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage there has stood the 21metres-tall outline of the "Hammering Man" since 1991. From 1971 Borofsky worked in a figurative style again, and in 1980 he developed the original design for the "Hammering Man" whose size he' s been altering time and again. In 1981, at the Baseler Kunsthalle he presented his sculpture for the first time in a 7m-version. In 1982, at documenta 7 in Kassel there were four of them on display. In its archetypal imagery the "Hammering Man" is reminiscent of a colossal silhouette. With the monotonous movement of his arm wielding the hammer he is a symbol of the working man and also stands for the unstoppable progression of time. Due to its remarkable size the "Hammering Man" has become one of Frankfurt's landmarks. At the base of the sculpture there is a row of numbers, because Borofsky numbers his pieces.