Two heavy-set businessmen in bronze, facing each other in an apparent collision course.
Two heavy-set businessmen in bronze, facing each other in an apparent collision course.
Two heavy-set businessmen in bronze, facing each other in an apparent collision course.
Two heavy-set businessmen in bronze, facing each other in an apparent collision course.

The Encounter

Artist(s)
William Hodd McElcheran
Date
1991
Object Type
sculpture
Medium
bronze
Edition
3/4
Dimensions
195.6 x 131.6 x 114.3 cm
Collections
Outdoor Sculpture Collection
Accession
A2010.001
Tags

The Encounter marks one in a large series of sculptures depicting what Hodd McElcheran titled Businessmen. The series consists of a bronze figure or figures who are usually in the process of commuting to or from work. The Encounter relays the tale of two businessmen approaching from opposite directions who have just narrowly avoided colliding into one another. The figures dynamic movements of long strides and leaning back to avoid the collision gives the viewer a sense of a loud encounter, in terms of both sound and movement.

The Businessmen series is satirical, meant to poke fun at the business elite and society’s seeming inability to stop and smell the roses. At the same time, Hodd McElcheran’s Businessmen have been admired for their sense of humanism and relatability.