Humpty Dumpty — Etienne Delessert

For hundreds of years, children have delighted in reciting the classic nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty's fall. Over the centuries there have been many different interpretations, but some speculate that it was originally a riddle: “What could fall and break, but could not ever be repaired?” An egg is certainly one possible answer.

Renowned artist Etienne Delessert considers instead the wall, and how walls can become a division between society's “haves” and “have-nots.” In his haunting and beautiful rendition, Delessert tells the story of King Humpty Dumpty and his lavish paradise, raising questions about the walls we build between each other and the perils they pose, not only to those excluded, but often to the wall-builders themselves.