IN PICS: Cast of Jimi Hendrix penis on show in Iceland
The museum's assistant curator said the cast of Jimi Hendrix's penis "is definitely one of our most valuable pieces".
Jimi Hendrix performs on stage on 24 May 1967 at Grona Lund in Stockholm, Sweden. Photo: various sources / AFP
The Icelandic Phallological Museum has unveiled a plaster cast of the erect penis of legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix after it was donated by its creator, dubbed Cynthia “Plaster Caster”.
The museum is already home to almost 400 artefacts, ranging from the sex organs of whales in plexiglass tubes to a raccoon’s penis in formaldehyde.
The collection even features bronzes of the genitalia of the entire Icelandic handball team that won silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Curious visitors lean in to examine the latest addition, displayed in a glass case.
The cast of Hendrix’s phallus was made by US artist Cynthia Albritton, dubbed Cynthia “Plaster Caster”, who made casts of the penises of some 50 rock stars.
She agreed to donate the item before her death earlier this year, sending it along with a certificate of authenticity that describes the object as a close replica of an original 1968 version.
Albritton used a latex mould to produce eight replicas of Hendrix’s phallus two years before his death.
Hendrix, whose repertoire included Foxy Lady and Hey Joe, died of an overdose in 1970 aged 27.
“This is definitely one of our most valuable pieces,” said Thordur Olafur Thordarson, the museum’s assistant curator.
Some of the museum’s whale exhibits are so rare they are considered priceless.
“We are extremely lucky to have it,” Thordarson told AFP.
The artist was persuaded to donate the piece after an American couple, who happened to be her neighbours, visited the museum in Reykjavik during their travels.
“They thought this would be a really great opportunity for her to leave a permanent legacy,” Thordarson said.
The plaster cast was unveiled at a ceremony in early June.
“It’s fun,” Steven Warren, a first time visitor to Iceland from the UK, told AFP.
French tourist Pascal Podwojewski said he did not “think history will remember the size of his penis, his music will be remembered more”.
ALSO READ: Moroccan village riffs on Hendrix legends and myths
