Although we didn’t actually have any Eis (“ice cream”) in Cologne while we were there, it was clear that people in Cologne like their ice cream, just like in Italy they like their gelato.

As proof I offer the following photos:

Sign on the side of a building in Cologne

“Dropped Cone” sculpture, Cologne

“Dropped Cone” sculpture, Cologne (detail)

The cone sculpture was designed by the husband and wife artists Claes Oldenburg and the late Coosje van Bruggen. It was commissioned by the little shopping mall that’s in the building the cone sits on top of. You can read the artists’ statement here.  What I guess I should have checked to see is if there’s an ice cream place in that mall – if so, they get some free publicity from that sculpture.

BTW, when I saw that cone I immediately thought of another monumental food sculpture that I’ve seen, the giant cherry-on-a-spoon sculpture outside the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Since it’s not often one sees giant food sculptures, I guess it’s not too surprising to discover that in fact the giant cherry sculpture, which is actually called Spoonbridge and Cherry, was also by Oldenburg and van Bruggen.

Not quite gelato nor life on a gelato diet, but fun nonetheless. 😉