Inverted Collar and Tie, Monumental sculpture in Westend district, Frankfurt, Germany
The sculpture features an inverted dress shirt collar with a necktie whose ends reach upward and outward. It towers roughly 12 meters high and was constructed from steel, polymer concrete, and reinforced plastics.
The DG Bank commissioned the sculpture in 1993 and had it produced in California; it was designed in 1994 by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. It stands on the square in front of the bank's headquarters at Westendstrasse 1 and belongs to the DZ Bank art collection. In 2013 the outer skin was restored on site.
The piece jokes with business dress codes and pokes fun at corporate formality through its reversed image. Standing in the financial heart, it invites viewers to reconsider what formal attire represents.
The sculpture sits at the corner of Westendstrasse and Mainzer Landstrasse in the Westend district. It is visible from street level and freely accessible, making it easy to view while passing through the area.
The construction employs unusual materials like polymer concrete and fiberglass, materials rarely seen in monumental public art. This combination allows the work to appear weightless despite its substantial size.
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