Story By: Pol F, Sub-Editor: Joe Golder, Agency: Newsflash

The popular flowery puppy monument which changes colours according to its flowers’ bloom cycle at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has this year been given a facemask of flowers as solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although kept a secret until now the blooms are starting to show clearly that the iconic statue now has a face mark outline which should fully appear in the next couple of weeks.

The famous puppy mascot now complete with a facemask was presented at the entrance of the Guggenheim Museum in the city of Bilbao in the northern Spanish region of Basque Country on 28th October.

The impressive monument, simply called “puppy”, was bought by the Spanish museum the same year it was presented by American artist Jeff Koons, 65, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in the Australian city of Sydney in 1997.

Every season, Puppy’s floral designs change as the bloom cycles lead to the colourful blooming of the tens of thousands of plants all around it which are picked to match the time of year.

In spring and summer, they plant colourful flowers such as begonias, marigolds and petunias. In the cooler months, they incorporate plants such as pansies.

Koons said a Bilbao resident sent him a letter suggesting the addition of a mask which he thought was a “fantastic idea” and was happy that the museum was also on board.

He designed the facemask which can now be seen on Puppy, however, the final floral design will not become entirely visible until the plants naturally bloom which is expected to happen sometime next week.

Koons called it an “honour” for Puppy to symbolise the importance of wearing a face mask during the COVID-19 crisis.

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