Over the next few months, I’ll be posting photos taken at Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, S.C. Although the gardens are not at their most beautiful in November, the sculptures are always wonderful! For more on Brookgreen, see the first post in this series.
Augustus Saint Gaudens, Diana
The Metropolitan Museum owns a cast of Diana, but at Brookgreen, the sculpture has its own space – almost as much as the original atop the first Madison Square Garden. This bronze is one of a series of six commissioned by the Madison Square Garden Corporation for its centennial in 1979; they were cast from a Portland cement version of Diana that Saint-Gaudens presented to Stanford White in 1894. Height of sculpture: 8.5 feet.
Augustus Saint Gaudens, Diana, 1894; this cast 1979. Brookgreen Gardens. Photo copyright © 2019 Dianne L. Durante Augustus Saint Gaudens, Diana, 1894; this cast 1979. Brookgreen Gardens. Photo copyright © 2019 Dianne L. Durante
Laura Gardin Fraser, Pegasus
Pegasus, representing inspiration, carries an artist on his back. I find this one impressive rather than moving, but still worth looking at. This granite sculpture, the largest at Brookgreen Gardens, took from 1946 to 1954 to complete. It’s 15’3″ feet high. The sculptor (1889-1996) studied at the Art Students’ League in New York with James Earle Fraser, whom she later married.
Edward Francis McCartan, Dionysus
Sculpted 1923; this enlarged gilt-bronze version for Brookgreen, sculpted in 1936, is 6.25 feet high.
Wheeler Williams, Black Panthers
Sculpted in 1933, these bronze panthers were silver-plated (now oxidized to black) and had green lacquer eyes. Each one of the pair of panthers is 2 feet high, 4.25 feet long. Among the many other works by Williams (1897-1972) is Venus and Manhattan at 980 Madison Avenue (76th Street), formerly the home of Sotheby Parke Bernet.
More
- The Brookgreen Gardens: Five Favorites post is here. For other posts in the November 2018 series, click “Brookgreen Gardens” in the Obsessions cloud.
- 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 in print and Kindle formats. More here.
- Want wonderful art delivered weekly to your inbox? Check out my free Sunday Recommendations list and rewards for recurring support: details here.