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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.

Actaeon, 1936

By Paul Manship (1885-1966, b. St. Paul, Minnesota), creator of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center and many, many other works. Manship was one of the leading American sculptors of the 20th century. Searching “Manship” on this site will show you many of his works in New York City.

The sculpture below is of Actaeon, a hunter who incurred the wrath of Artemis. She transformed him into a stag (hence the antlers sprouting from his head) and let his own hounds attack him. Not nice, those Greek gods. This is my least favorite Manship sculpture, but it has a lovely setting at Brookgreen, on the edge of the main sculpture area with a dramatic drop-off behind.

Adonis, 1905

By Eli Harvey, one of America’s earliest animaliers (sculptors specializing in animals): an eight-month-old greyhound.

Fauns at Play

This is one of the only fountain sculptures created by Charles Keck (1875-1961); the original sat in a marble basin carved with a relief of the household’s children at play. In New York City, we have Keck’s Father Francis P. Duffy (Times Square), Gov. Alfred E. Smith (Lower East Side), Brooklyn War Memorial (Cadman Plaza), three busts at the Bronx Hall of Fame, and a few others.

Seaweed Fountain, 1920

By Beatrice Fenton. This work won the Widener Gold Medal at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1933, and a bronze medal at the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia, 1926.

Pas de Trois, 1983

By John Cavanaugh (1921-1985). The title is the ballet term for a dance involving three performers. According to the label: “Cavanaugh was a pioneer in the method of hammering and forming sculpture designs from sheets of lead. He felt this medium allowed him to present graceful motion, particularly dance movement, in sculpture.” This is a bronze cast.

Avocet

By Elliot Melville Offner (1931-2010). Offner began sculpting in the 1960s, eventually focusing on wildlife. Part 3 of this series of posts on Brookgreen includes his elegant Heron, Grouse, and Loon, 1992.

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.
• Want wonderful art delivered weekly to your inbox? Check out my free Sunday Recommendations list and rewards for recurring support: details here.