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Lot Essay
'The great bronze hares which Barry Flanagan has been producing since the 1980s are one of the most personal and recognisable artistic endeavours of the second half of this century. Spectacular in size, bitingly ironic and bold, as well as terribly individualistic, they are totally unlike what we normally see in museums and galleries around the world' (see E. Juncosa, (intro.), exhibition catalogue, Barry Flanagan, London, Waddington Galleries, 1994).
The leaping hare has become a leitmotiv of Flanagan's work. Always active, suggesting speed, lightness and grace whilst at the same time filled with good humour, he has devised an instantly recognisable idiom. Whether 19 or 90 inches high, increasingly anthropomorphic, they wrestle, box and dance.
Flanagan's hares made one of their first public appearances when he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1982 and subsequently exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. The Biennale exhibition included, amongst others, Hare and Bell; Leaping Hare; and Cricketer, all conceived in 1981.
The present work, conceived in 1986, is from a series based on the Polish-born Russian ballet dancer Nijinsky (1890-1950). Other versions include Mirror Nijinski, 1992, Baby Elephant, 1984, where the hare is poised on an elephant's head and Nijinski Hare, 1996, where the bronze is 204 in. (518 cm.) high.
The leaping hare has become a leitmotiv of Flanagan's work. Always active, suggesting speed, lightness and grace whilst at the same time filled with good humour, he has devised an instantly recognisable idiom. Whether 19 or 90 inches high, increasingly anthropomorphic, they wrestle, box and dance.
Flanagan's hares made one of their first public appearances when he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1982 and subsequently exhibited at the Whitechapel Gallery in London. The Biennale exhibition included, amongst others, Hare and Bell; Leaping Hare; and Cricketer, all conceived in 1981.
The present work, conceived in 1986, is from a series based on the Polish-born Russian ballet dancer Nijinsky (1890-1950). Other versions include Mirror Nijinski, 1992, Baby Elephant, 1984, where the hare is poised on an elephant's head and Nijinski Hare, 1996, where the bronze is 204 in. (518 cm.) high.