Along for the ride:

Friday, November 19, 2010

Lucy's moved to Virginia



Lucy, the humanobile pictured here, is a metal sculpture by French artist Vincent Magni. We've had her for a number of years and had many smiles as she bounced and wobbled all over at the slightest touch.
Most recently, I had brought her home and put her in my front garden, by a tree shaded bench, so that she might keep me company as I sit and read.
Just a short time after manhandling her bottom heavy coils into position, without getting whacked too hard by her spring-loaded,flailing arms, I received a call from a woman who had seen Lucy on eBay.

Joanne and her husband Jim knew exactly what a humanobile was, they had once seen one in Paris and years later were still looking for one of their own. Whatever search criteria they entered from Virginia had brought them to us in California.
It was nice to talk with people who have an appreciation for the same character filled sculpture. The questions and negotiations were more like an adoption process than a sale. I almost asked to make a home inspection to see if Lucy would be O.K. Jim and Joanne fell in love with her and we agreed to crate her up for travel.
She's pictured above strapped onto our trailer to bring her back from our home. Below she gets a last sprucing up.
I sent photos of our crated Lucy to Jim and Joanne. We had a discussion about King Tut  and coffins and solved the problem of how to identify her head for ease of un-crating, without someone imagining there was really a body in the box. I drew a smiley face at the appropriate end of the lid.
We had a book about the artist which I shipped to Virginia by fedex so the expectant parents to be would have something to look at to pass the time. Lucy was the cover girl for the book, which means that the artist chose her as his favorite. We all agreed with his selection.
I received an email from Jim: "Lucy arrived a few minutes ago. She's still jiggling with excitement. Thanks for the secure crating.
As mentioned before, you have full visiting rights anytime you get back to Virginia".
I hope we get to take them up on that offer. They were really lovely people and I'd like to meet them.

18 comments:

  1. Oh, it must have been hard to part with Lucy, but I am sure she has been adopted by good new parents. Apparently, they have been searching for her for a while.

    I do hope you are not too lonely without your reading companion. Is this akin to fostering collies? *S*

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  2. Silliyak, the artist definitely achieved a sculpture that "Speaks" to people.

    Jean, Lucy generates smiles wherever she goes. Regarding the fostering: it is the same challenge as matching new families with the right dog. There was an adoption fee too.

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  3. Lucy looks like a ready for anything kind of girl . She'll love Virginia .... but you'll miss her !

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  4. Always good to find art a good home!

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  5. What nice people. Oh, and the new parents of Lucy sound pretty nice too.

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  6. Lucy looks like my kind of girl! Someone with a spring in her step.

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  7. S&S, Lucy was always destined for adventure.

    Steve, it came at the right time for us and I do enjoy "matching" people with dreams.

    TechnoBabe, Thanks. This was an interaction as well as a transaction. Quality folks are such a pleasure.

    Martin, I'm still smiling at her too.

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  8. Had I known a Lucy existed, I might have been the new mother! She'd have to live indoors, though, or be permanently prone due to the wind...

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  9. A lovely story with a very happy ending. Lucy is glorious, they are very luck people to have her.
    Thank you, English Rider, this caused me to smile and go rather misty-eyed.

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  10. June, Lucy is as at home outdoors as in. She was outdoors a lot with me and I loved her dancing with the wind. She has a heavy base and no danger of tipping over. She is now an indoor girl.

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  11. Kitty, Lucy bridged that gap, from inanimate object to animated personality. And she never said a bad word about anyone:)

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  12. What a fanciful post! I love this story. Learned something too....need to research a bit on humanobiles!

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  13. A humanobile indeed.
    Never heard of it before. A fun piece, but won't she get lonely without a mate or at least you, the next best thing in human form?

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  14. Lydia and Friko, Humanobile (Human and Mobile) is a term which, I believe, originates with Vincent Magni, the artist. His series of Humanobiles included both male and female personalities and each one had a name. Lucy's new owners had originally encountered "Roberta", in Paris. If you google the artists name combined with French sculptor or artist, you will uncover pictures of his ongoing evolution of work.

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  15. It must be terribly hard to give up someone who has become such a close member of the family ? Or perhaps you were also a little relieved ? Having such a shapely and jiggly young woman staying at the house for long could have led to temptations and strains on marital harmony ?
    :-)

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  16. Owen, If she had been able to cook or wash dishes, no price would have been too high to pay.

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  17. Hi Everyone

    I have one of these Vincent Magni Humanobiles of my own that I got at auction several years back. Its now posted on Ebay. Check it out..
    Its time to sell my goodies.

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