“I’m not the center of the Universe?”
(Portrait of the Artist)
36″ x 18″ x 22″
1997
Ceramic and found objects
Private Collection, Sacramento, Ca

Details

The sculpture, I’m Not the Center of the Universe?, is the first self-portrait Tony has executed and the first of
many busts he was to make. “One of my collectors asked me one day why I make such large pieces. He suggested
I make small ones, because they might be fit in peoples homes better. So that got me thinking. Why not
make smaller pieces and concentrate on the personalities of the subjects. So I enlarged the heads so I could
really concentrate on the features of the face. Before I was really more interested in how to get a life-size sculpture
to sit, stand, and do a whole array of things physically. As Arneson, I started out doing a self portrait”. The
artist captures his likeness and personality, while simultaneously poking fun at what he sees as the universal
weakness of all artists: the lack of humility. The facial features of this over scaled bust of a young man are well
modeled – wide inquiring eyes, arched eyebrows, furrowed forehead, and opened mouth. His shirt is boldly
patterned with psychedelic flowers, and the items held within his digits describe his character and attributes.
In one hand, he clutches a telephone, and in the other, he grips a television remote. Like a king with a scepter
or a knight with a sword, these objects reveal Tony’s phone fixation and television-watching obsession. Should
there be any doubt that this artist believes that he is the center of the universe, atop his head, Tony has placed a
miniature solar system that buzzes around his cranium.

Additionally, Tony has inserted commercial lenses over the figure’s eye sockets to allow viewers to peer into
its skull. Upon close examination and aided by a light source, viewers can see a pink brain dangling inside the
head. A walk-about to the other side of the bust reveals another window into Tony’s persona. Tony has sculpted
an opening containing found toys at the back of the head, a selection from Tony’s and Donna’s vintage toy
collection. As Tony has succinctly stated, “This sculpture is to remind me to stay humble.” It may also be a
prompt for lighthearted self-reflection, and a laugh at the nakedness of the human brain defrocked of its trappings