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Brookgreen Gardens, November 2018 (4)

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.

With this post, we move into the children’s section of Brookgreen.

Lawrence Tenney Stevens, The Bat

  • Lawrence Tenney Stevens, The Bat,  1929
  • Lawrence Tenney Stevens, The Bat,1929

In 1922 Stevens (1896-1972) won the Prix de Rome, allowing him to study for three years at the American Academy in Rome. Later he lived and worked in New York, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arizona, and California. Wikipedia notes that he was one of the originators of the “Cowboy High Style,” which is a new one to me … This sculpture was created in 1929. Brookgreen displays it on a tall pedestal, so it seems to be flying above you: nice touch!

Albert T. Stewart, Fawn

Albert T. Stewart, Fawn,  ca. 1936

Stewart (1900-1965) began his career drawing comic strips. He studied art with funding from a collector who recognized his talent, then worked under Frederick MacMonnies and Paul Manship. The style of this charming fawn, created ca. 1936, is very Art Deco. In New York, Stewart designed the bas-reliefs on the Waldo Hutchins Bench in Central Park.

Nancy duPont Reynolds, Happiness

  • Nancy duPont Reynolds, Happiness, 1982
  • Nancy duPont Reynolds, Happiness,1982

This happy, trusting child was sculpted in 1982. Reynolds (b. 1919) was a descendant of the founder of the du Pont chemical company. 

W. Stanley Proctor, The Tortoise Train

  • W. Stanley Proctor, The Tortoise Train

  • W. Stanley Proctor, The Tortoise Train

  • W. Stanley Proctor, The Tortoise Train

I have no idea what’s going on here, but it amuses me very much. I also like the child’s sense of priorities: the second tortoise is laden with two huge books. [3/3/19: Phillip S. points out that these are suitcases, and he’s correct … but perhaps they’re suitcases full of books!] Proctor was born in 1939. Brookgreen’s label doesn’t give a date for this work.

More

  • The Brookgreen Gardens: Five Favorites post is here. For other posts in the November 2018 series, click “Brookgreen Gardens” in the Obsessions cloud at right.
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