The Ballerina Clown of Venice
by Joe Schofield
Title
The Ballerina Clown of Venice
Artist
Joe Schofield
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Created by sculptor Jonathan Borofsky in 1988, the ballerina clown was meant to capture the essence of the street performers so prevalent in Venice, while combining the formality of a classic ballet dancer. The giant figure, made of fiberglass, steel and aluminum has an electric motor in the right leg, allowing the red-nosed prima donna to execute a slow kick, but it's rarely in operation. Despite the lack of movement, the strange hobo clown dancer is a surprising sight to behold when you're merely searching for a place to buy toothpaste.
"Of course, the Venice Boardwalk is full of all kinds of people in all sorts of outfits and the atmosphere is very festive with many live street performances taking place, especially on weekends. This sculpture is an accommodation or resolution of opposites in one. Not only does this image bring the male and female together into one figure, but also, two opposite types of performers are represented: the formal classical ballet dancer and the traditional street performer. Of course, this public sculpture pushes the envelope in "taste", but if you have ever walked the Venice Boardwalk on a Sunday afternoon, you might understand why this figure is right at home."
Jonathan Borofsky
255 Rose Ave (at Main St), Venice, CA 90291
GPS Coordinates: 33.996174, -118.477829
Uploaded
July 6th, 2026
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