Antoine-Louis Barye

While talking about French sculptors I thought it would be worth mentioning that the Philbrook Museum of Art, in Tulsa, is hosting and exhibit on the works of Antoine-Louis Barye. It is a fantastic exhibit and I encourage everyone in the area to visit it. (My Husband and I have already been twice.) The exhibit will be showing until September 2. Also, just as a helpful hint, The museum is free to the public the second Saturday of the month, you may want to
call and double check this because it does change from time to time depending on funding available.

Just to prove the sculptures are worth seeing in person here are some pictures (which in no way give the sculptures justice).

Theseus Killing the Minotaur


















Read the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.




Elephant Sculpture














(The exhibit has one of Barye's sketches of a dead elephant. ---He studied in a "zoo" where he could watch the dead animals be dissected and study the movements of living ones. How unfortunate that in today's zoos people only go to look at the animals for a brief period of entertainment, not to actually study the animals in any significant way. Its sad that we think its okay to lock up nature for our amusement.)


Pair of Candelabra












(This was probably my favorite piece of the whole exhibit. Erik and I brainstormed some possible meanings behind the different symbols used. In the little time we had to study the sculpture we decided that a simple explanation was that the sculpture was a picture of man's muses. This may be wrong, especially since it is probably oversimplified, that is exactly why I need a copy of these candelabras for myself.)