Murder of Number Three

Ernesto Montenegro

Other Sculpture

24×48 in

Bronze

Interest in Alice in Wonderland is what led Ernesto Montenegro to create an outstanding 2-foot by 4-foot bronze wall work entitled, The Murder of Number Three.

An intimate tableau of intrigue with joker like figures reacting and participating in a stabbing, Montenegro’s skill creates an unusual dynamic. We are witnessing the culmination of hospitality; the sharp edges of the slabs and frames convey danger along with the upside-down heads. The viewer’s eye sweeps back and forth across the horizontal composition to catch the progression of the idea, and comes to rest on the stunned figure riding a bicycle.
-Christian Science Monitor

Certain works rise above the norm: Ernesto Montenegro’s Murder of Number Three is one. The bronze relief shows the characters on playing cards fighting their way out of the confines of their rectangles to do battle with each other. This scene of two dimensions blossoming into three nicely parallels the relief format itself.
-Christine Temin
Boston Globe Staff