Anthony Theakston

"20-20" Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Portrait of an Owl with Tilted Head, Bird

2022

The optimistic bronze sculptures of Dutch artist Miep Maarse (1945) are a feast for the eyes. Dancing elephants, bathing hippos and playing bears characterize her oeuvre. The images are optimistic in tone and message. Through her images she shows us her positive view of the world and humanity. She shapes her sculptures in a professional and original way. The animals have recognizable human characteristics, which radiate great charm and tenderness. At first glance, this seems simple and charming. The opposite is true. You must have studied man and his behavior extremely well in order to make this translation. A hippopotamus - not a gentle animal at all - transforms into a friendly big lug who dances, dives or acts like an English lord. What is special is that Maarse finds her images so natural that people do not immediately realize that what they are actually doing is not possible. In ''Between the Ears'' the mother elephant with her child between her ears looks so natural and realistic and is so moving and playful. Almost casually, Miep Maarse asks the obligatory question: "How realistic is realistic?" Everyone will immediately admit that her images are not realistic. But what are they then? Surrealistic maybe? Strangely enough, it is obvious to place them in that movement, but everyone feels that something is not right. After all, with surrealism we immediately think of bizarre situations and alienation, while Miep Maarse's animal sculptures radiate something familiar and domestic. Due to the metamorphosis that her animals undergo, they enter the realm of fabulous creatures. The animal sculptures are liberating because the depicted animals have different codes of conduct than the people who imitate them. Miep Maarse received her education at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. ''La Baigneuse...

Nichola Theakston (1967) has established herself as one of the UK’s foremost contemporary sculptors working within the animal genre. With the ''Tesem'' Nichola shows how exquisite ...

This delightful bronze sculpture of a walking baby elephant is highly textured and finished with an elegant sepia patina. Canadian sculptor Richard Tosczak begins his pieces with rapid pen and ink studies that evolve into dynamic three-dimensional figurative works cast in bronze. This is number 3 in an edition of 8. “I have always liked sculptures of Ganesh (elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings) and have thought about making images of baby elephants for years. The baby elephant, for me, symbolizes creativity and the importance of pursuing one’s truest life.” Richard Tosczak Born in Belgium, Richard Tosczak studied philosophy and sculpture at the University of Alberta. At that time, Tosczak began working in steel and was influenced by a number of his professors who appreciated the work of a British abstract sculptor, Sir Anthony Caro considered one of the greatest sculptors of his generation. Further studies were pursued in France with another internationally acclaimed classic sculptor, Martine Vaugel...

Johannes Nielsen (b.1979) was born in Falkenberg, Sweden. He is an artist who uses bronze sculpture to celebrate life and its beauty. He believes that sculptures of the human body ca...