Kermit the Frog has come to Paris—and it appears he’s having an existential crisis. American artist Alex Da Corte is presenting Kermit the Frog, Even (2025), a 19.75-meter-long inflatable sculpture of the Muppet with arms and head down in defeat, at the Place Vendôme. Sadie Coles HQ is showing the work as part of the Art Basel Paris public program.
The work is being shown at a major moment for the French capital. Art Basel Paris opens this week, while Parisian galleries and museums are unveiling some of their biggest shows of the year.
The giant Kermit, which is suspended midair, embodies the artist’s fascination with the Muppet’s catchphrase, “It’s not easy being green.” For Da Corte, this phrase carries layered meanings of environmental consciousness, alienation, and marginalization.“Here we see Kermit wearing it plainly on his face—the façade drops when the camera isn’t focused on you,” the artist told Art Basel.
The installation draws from a 1991 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade mishap, when a Kermit balloon was torn by a tree branch. The giant balloon deflated as the rest of the festivities carried on. At the same time, the work’s title references Marcel Duchamp’s The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (1915–23), which the artist made by trapping materials like oil and dust between two large glass panels. It depicts an allegory of unfulfilled desire, where the “bride” figure is separated from her nine “bachelors” in the bottom panel.
At the Place Vendôme, performers dressed as Kermit danced around the defeated balloon. The frog’s head was almost completely deflated. The dancers lifted the sculpture’s arms and twirled around as many families paused to watch throughout the day.
“What’s interesting—and necessary—in the work is the performers offering a reminder of the charade: Their only task is to keep smiling and keep it moving,” the artist told Art Basel. “You don’t know who’ll be watching, but we can’t show on our faces the terror in our minds if we know the balloon is failing.”
