Swinging in a hammock between two lovers’ padlocks amid the iron latticework of Liberty Bridge – whose very last rivet he knocked in himself – former Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph looks perfectly content to be the next subject matter for Mihajlo Kolodko. The Hungaro-Ukrainian creator of statuettes relevant to urban history has again chosen his moment. This year is the 125th anniversary of the unveiling of this crossing between Fővám tér and Gellért tér.
Kolodko’s perfect likeness of Emperor Franz Joseph, big, bristling moustache and all, seems as accurately witty as others he has made of classic historic characters in the past, from Gloomy Sunday composer Rezső Seress to escapologist Harry Houdini.
You can see how he crafted and grafted on his latest masterpiece thanks to this short video.
