Antwerp City Collection

This is the third work from the 1960s, following on from the crocodiles and the ducks, that refers to Panamarenko’s fascination with animals. The whale we see here testifies to the young artist’s desire to use new materials to make an entirely individual, almost abstract sculpture. The simplicity of materials and form, meanwhile, shows immense aesthetic refinement. The angular form – at once both robust and elegant – later gave Panamarenko the idea of constructing ΠAHAMA Nova Zemblaya based on the morphology of this early Whale.