Three Businessmen who brought their own lunch: Batman, Swanston and Hoddle

Three Businessmen Who Brought Their Own Lunch: Batman, Swanston And Hoddle

Nicknamed the Metal Men, this sculpture is one of the most popular pieces of public art in Melbourne and must have the longest public art name in the world!

The whimsical, life-size bronze sculpture of three businessmen carrying lunchboxes, is located in the heart of Melbourne, on the corner of Swanston and Bourke Streets. Artist Alison Weaver claims that while the men are named and motionless, they are also intended to be anonymous and to represent being 'trapped in the perpetual motion of consumerism'. Weaver figures these three Melbourne pioneers as 'pedestrians of vast time' who have returned to the city streets, and says her interpretation of them is driven by humour rather than by iconoclasm.

The Businessmen looking East


Created by Alison Weaver and Paul Quin, "Three Businessmen Who Brought Their Own Lunch: Batman, Swanston and Hoddle" was commissioned in 1993 as part of the Swanston Street Art Works Program, and was a gift to the City of Melbourne from the Republic of Nauru to celebrate the City's 150th Anniversary and unveiled on 20th April 1994 by His Excellency, the President of Nauru, Hon. Bernard Dowiyogo M.P.

This life-sized sculpture pays homage to Melbourne’s three pioneers, returning them to the city’s streets as pedestrians observing Melbourne’s development throughout time.

Whenever I see this sculpture, I am reminded of the short poem about businessmen -

She was Susie up in Sydney, she was Penny down in Perth,
She was Betty up in Brisbane the greatest gal on earth,
She was Molly down in Melbourne, the best of all the bunch,
But down on his expenses, she was petrol, oil and lunch!


Today's Quote: All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them ~ Walt Disney