Walker Art Center Sculpture Collection Heads West

Denver Botanic Gardens Turns Sculpture Garden Again!

Read about this rare opportunity to see pieces from the incredible Minneapolis collection

Barry Flanagan, Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers

This hare is jumping high to celebrate spring and his appearance in Denver. Barry Flanagan, Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers, 1983, bronze, limestone is part of the Walker Art Center sculpture collection (Minneapolis). Along with 12 other sculptures from renown sculptors from around the world, this Hare has turned the Denver Botanic Gardens into a sculpture garden once more.

Sculptures are placed throughout the Gardens as complements to the living museum’s natural settings. The majority of the 20th century sculptures are figurative, while others portray abstract compositions.

The Walker Art Center sculptures will be on display in Denver now through October 2, 2016.

The Denver Botanic Gardens has a history of celebrating sculpture along with their beautiful floral. Last fall we wrote about their exhibit that featured horse sculptures by Deborah Butterfield. They have also featured a fantastic collection by glass artist Chihuly that broke national attendance records in 2014, and hand carved stone sculptures from Zimbabwe in their exhibition, Chapungu: Custom & Legend, A Culture in Stone in 2007-2008.

This year’s celebration of sculpture is titled, Stories in Sculpture. Organized by the Walker Art Center, artists represented include Henry Moore, Louise Nevelson, Isamu Noguchi, George Segal, Saul Baizerman, Deborah Butterfield, Barry Flanagan and Judith Shea.

Henry Moore, Standing Figure: Knife Edge

You may recall the controversy over ownership that arose when a corrupt Mayor attempted to sell a Henry Moore sculpture last year.

Henry Moore’s bronze sculptures have also received headlines for being stolen–sometimes stolen for scrap metal by thieves too ignorant to realize what they were doing.

George Segal, Walking Man, 1988. Bronze

The Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden is currently undergoing renovations. That means it is the perfect opportunity to allow sculpture lovers in other parts of the country to enjoy their collection. Or even within the Minneapolis community as pieces will be on view in a variety of locations. The sculpture garden is expected to reopen in summer 2017

Learn more about the sculpture exhibition at the Denver Botanic Gardens

Photography by Scott Dressel-Martin

Sculpture credits:

Barry Flanagan, Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers, 1983, bronze, limestone.
Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
Gift of Anne Larsen Simonson and Glen and Marilyn Nelson, 1987

Henry Moore, Standing Figure: Knife Edge, 1961, bronze.
Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
Gift of Dayton’s, 1987

George Segal, Walking Man, 1988. Bronze.
Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis.
Gift of the AT&T Foundation and of the Julius E. Davis family in memory of Julius E. Davis, 1988.
Sculpture copyright the George and Helen Segal Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY