Two Big Black Hearts, bronze sculptures created in 1985 by American Pop Artist Jim Dine, are 3,200-pound sculptures standing twelve feet tall and wide. Cast from the same mold, the sculptures are nearly identical except for the subtle differences caused by the casting process. Comprised of bronze casts of commonplace items, hands, faces, and seashells are seen in repetition along with hammers and other tools. Often incorporating autobiographical influences into his sculptures, evoking childhood memories, the tools found in Two Big Black Hearts may reflect memories of his grandparent’s hardware store.

Born in 1935 in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dine moved to New York City in 1957 after graduating from Ohio University with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. There he staged Conceptual Art “Happenings” with friends Allan Kaprow and Claes Oldenberg and played a pioneering role in the Pop Art movement.

A prolific artist, his works range from large-scale paintings to bronze sculptures. He has had solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1970), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (1999), the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (2004) and participated in Cool Globes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet, Chicago, IL (2007), a public art project on global warming.

Often exploring the heart in his works, Dine’s Two Big Black Hearts stands out in the landscape, inviting all to consider their own feelings associated with this symbol of caring