I’ve posted on Brookgreen Gardens before (see here), cropping the photos to show just the sculptures. But one of the marvelous features of Brookgreen is that many of the sculptures have a small garden or another area specifically designed to set them off. In this series of posts, with photos taken in early June when the gardens were full of flowers, I’m trying to give a sense of those gorgeous settings.
Youth Taming the Wild, ca. 1933
By Anna Hyatt Huntington (1876-1973). Gorgeous setting.
Barberini Candelabrum, 1900
Modeled by Furio Piccirilli (1868-1949) and Horatio Piccirilli (1872-1954) for their father. The four panels represent Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite and Ares. The Piccirillis (a father and six sons) came from the Carrara region in Italy to New York City in 1888. Many sculptors gave the Piccirillis their models, and had the Piccirillis do the actual carving of marble. Among the works done in this manner was Daniel Chester French’s Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Attilio was a sculptor in his own right, creating the Firemen’s Memorial and the Maine Monument in New York City.
Heron, Grouse, and Loon, 1992
Elliot Offner (1931-2010) created the original of this work for downtown Minneapolis.
Diving Eagle, 1963
Albino Manca (1876-1973) created this work as the centerpiece of the East Coast Memorial in New York’s Battery Park, where it was dedicated by President John F. Kennedy on May 23, 1963. The Memorial honors 4,601 American servicemen who lost their lives in the Atlantic Ocean while engaged in combat during World War II. The eagle in the memorial is twice the size of this one, and size really does matter … A similar monument in San Francisco honors servicemen lost in the Pacific.
Views of Brookgreen Gardens
Reclining Woman with Gazelle, 1937
Entering the walled Poetry Garden.
Pomona, 1929
Joseph Emile Renier (1887-1966) was a native of Union Hills, NJ.
Seated Faun, 1924
Janet Scudder (1873-1940) studied with Frederick MacMonnies in Paris, and like him, created many charming images of children for garden sculptures. Among them is one of my favorite Brookgreen Garden sculptures, Frog Baby. (The Metropolitan Museum’s cast is here.)
Nymph, 1932
Another Art Deco wonder – this one by Paul Fjelde (1892-1984), a native of Minneapolis.
More
- For more of my posts on Brookgreen, click here. The official site is here.
- In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon print and Kindle formats.
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