CINCINNATI, OH.- The Cincinnati Art Museum this spring welcomed a new sculpture by celebrated artist, and Cincinnati native, Jim Dine to its entrance. Dine’s twelve-foot bronze sculpture, titled Pinocchio (Emotional) was unveiled in a public ceremony Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 10:15a.m. by students from C.O. Harrison Elementary School and Silverton Paideia Academy.

“The acquisition of Dine’s Pinocchio creates a joyful and welcoming art environment even before you cross the building’s threshold, says Jéssica Flores García, associate curator of contemporary art. Inside the Art Museum, visitors will see up close just how Jim Dine has incorporated the story of Pinocchio in his work for more than a decade, as they explore a newly acquired print portfolio of Dine’s illustration of Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) that will be on display through August 19.

In 2005 Dine devoted his time to a personal interpretation of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio by creating a lithograph for each of the 36 chapters of the book. The story is more real and more complex than the sentimental fairy tale of the animated film. According to Kristin Spangenberg, Curator of Prints, “Each chapter is preceded by a synopsis and Dine quotes from those individuals’ introductions, the words woven together with his images.”

In 2010 the Cincinnati Art Museum presented Dine with the first Cincinnati Art Award, which celebrates an outstanding Cincinnatian who has had a significant impact on our culture at a national and international level through the making, collecting or promotion of visual art. The Art Museum’s permanent collection includes 50 works by the artist, primarily prints, drawings and paintings.

“We are proud to have Dine’s work with us in such a major manner,” said Art Museum Director Aaron Betsky; “We have paintings and drawings that highlight the work of our best contemporary artists. This sculpture will announce our collections in a way that we think everybody can enjoy.”