Sculpture: smiling wood bust with googly eyes behind a string instrument made from a hide-covered gourd, work by Robert Bibeau

Le ugly bass player

A pair: a square-shouldered wood bust made from an old piece of telephone pole, with googly eyes and a notched mouth, and its instrument, a gourd covered with a hide whose fur was left in place, with a curved neck, strings lashed with leather rings and a sound hole ringed with tacks.

Close view of the wooden bust's face against dark brick, domed forehead and short jutting nose, the cut mouth set under hollow eye sockets that are still empty

The full bust seen head-on, square shoulders, raised on two threaded metal rods set into wooden blocks, standing on concrete in front of a brick wall

Angled close view of the bust with two pale glass eyes set in the wood, the instrument's taut strings crossing the face and its light neck bound with knotted ties at right, dark background

Work acquired