Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

John Denning
Philosopher bronze sculpture

About the Item

A recurring theme in John Denning’s art (both painting and sculpture) has been combining human figures with birds or horses. The bird in the freestanding bronze sculpture "Philosopher," however, sits alone, lying on its back on a tall, narrow perch. What is also new here is the introduction of an abstract form balanced on the animal's beak, creating a tension as well as whimsy, and allowing the viewer to participate by turning and repositioning the form. Edition number 3 of 9 was just cast in 2021 and is now available. Each patina in the edition is unique, and #3/9 has a rich, dark patina as shown in the first three images. The fourth image shows the first cast in the edition, finished with a light patina, installed in a California garden. John Denning became fascinated by the human figure during his days as a student at the Art Center School of Design in Los Angeles. His background in the arts is rooted in painting and drawing, with a particular exploration of watercolor. The work of Nathan Olivera, Richard Diebenkorn, and Francis Bacon served as inspiration in the two-dimensional medium, while sculptors such as Manuel Neri and Stephen De Staebler began to emerge as gateways to the third dimension. Denning's sculptural figures, often female, oscillate in time and space as they simultaneously appear to be emerging and withdrawing in ruin.
  • Creator:
    John Denning (American)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 58 in (147.32 cm)Width: 41 in (104.14 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Glen Ellen, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU7128465372
More From This SellerView All
  • Shoe 1 - bronze shoe sculpture
    By Steve Tobin
    Located in Glen Ellen, CA
    This cast bronze shoe sculpture sports an elaborate, colorful design and serves as a delightful fruit basket! From world-renowned artist Steve Tobin's bronze "Shoe" collection of 100 shoes, each one is completely unique. The dimensions shown are approximate. "Shoe" sizes in the series range from US women's size 6-10. "Shoes" are available individually or in groups. The listed price reflects a single shoe. For the "Shoe Wall...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • 3 Shoes - bronze shoe sculpture set
    By Steve Tobin
    Located in Glen Ellen, CA
    This set of playful "Shoes" are highly detailed: the red and black slingback is stuffed with a bread loaf, the green shoe with embroidery detailing holds corn-on-the-cob, and the purple-toed pump is topped with two realistic mushrooms! The set of three was selected from world-renowned artist Steve Tobin's cast bronze "Shoe" series of 100 shoes, and each one is completely unique. The dimensions shown are approximate. "Shoe" sizes in the series range from US women's size 6-10. The listed price reflects this group of three as shown in the main image. Other "Shoes" in the series are available individually, or in a larger grouping of 48 shoes as shown in the "Shoe Wall...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Bronze Nest (dark magenta patina with dozen eggs) by Steve Tobin
    By Steve Tobin
    Located in Glen Ellen, CA
    This delicate cast bronze twig NEST with a bright magenta patina (with some of the bronze left raw) holds a dozen brushed steel eggs for a lovely contrast. This sculpture makes a lovely table centerpiece! "The bronze NESTS...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Shoe 6 - bronze shoe sculpture
    By Steve Tobin
    Located in Glen Ellen, CA
    This cast bronze shoe sculpture has a handful of bright green peapods stuffed into the colorful leopard print shoe. From world-renowned artist Stev...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Shoe 2 - bronze shoe sculpture
    By Steve Tobin
    Located in Glen Ellen, CA
    This cast bronze shoe sculpture has a highly detailed pink and black lace pattern and is stuffed with four delicious looking rolled cookies! From world-renowned artist Steve Tobin's bronze "Shoe" series of 100 shoes, each one is completely unique. The dimensions shown are approximate. "Shoe" sizes in the series range from US women's size 6-10. "Shoes" are available individually or in groups. The listed price reflects a single shoe. For the "Shoe Wall...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Bronze Nest
    By Steve Tobin
    Located in Glen Ellen, CA
    This cast bronze twig NEST with a bright blue patina (with some of the bronze left raw) holds three highly polished bronze eggs. "The bronze NESTS are ano...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Conceptual Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

You May Also Like
  • Blue Gingko by Kuno Vollet - Contemporary bronze sculpture on rough granite base
    By Kuno Vollet
    Located in DE
    Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Brass Gingko with 5 leaves art sculpture Materials: Bronze, black granite base Polished bronze to gold adds highlights to the leaves. Art Deco Mid-centu...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

    Materials

    Granite, Bronze

  • Balance 2 by Kuno Vollet - Contemporary elegant Golden polished Bronze sculpture
    By Kuno Vollet
    Located in DE
    Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Balance 2 Materials: Bronze Size: 42 x 22 cm _______________________________________________________________________ This elegant original cast bronz...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

    Materials

    Granite, Gold, Bronze

  • Sentinel
    Located in Greenwich, CT
    Peter Kirkiles Biography American, b. 1966 Sculptor Peter Kirkiles stresses that the inspiration for his metal sculptures comes from the satisfaction of the process of fabricating a piece in a skilled manner and from his attraction to everyday objects and their relationship to humans. He finds beauty in the utilitarian tools, and objects that we may not notice in our day to day lives. By playing with their size and their proportion to human scale, he forces the viewer to examine more closely the object’s construction and its overall design importance. He has a nostalgia for well designed, well used, history laden objects. “I’m a maker; I’m also an admirer of things well made. Over the years, I’ve chosen to make things that I love. I find the subjects of my sculpture in real life; a shoe, a camera, a clock, a ruler…made to scale, as sculpture.” –Peter Kirkiles Kirkiles holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tufts University, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts and a Masters of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He has exhibited nationally including a 2021 solo exhibition “At Scale” at the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Vermont. His work is held by The Shelburne Museum, The New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT and by private collectors throughout the US. ***** Peter Kirkiles’ sculptures are visual odes to everyday objects. He is a maker’s maker, a master craftsman, a lover of well-constructed things. He has a special affinity for things well-used, that have stood the test of time and remain steadfast in their intended purpose, that bear the marks of labor and living, that contain echoes of humanity: an antique chest of drawers, a well-worn...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze, Stainless Steel

  • Polychrome Bronze Organic Sculpture Polich Tallix Art Foundry Sleeping Beauty
    By Robert Kushner
    Located in Surfside, FL
    Robert Kushner, born in 1949, in California, lives in New York, and is a painter and sculptor. He gained attention in the early seventies as a performance artist, using food, fabric and nudity. Kushner was associated with the Pattern and Decoration movement and used fabric collage in large-scale, bold paintings of the figure. Since 1987 he has used flowers as the subject of his paintings, more recently adding a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables to his repertoire. Kushner's use of rich color harmonies and bold, fluid drawing, mark his belief in the importance of beauty in our lives. Kushner draws from a unique range of influences, including Islamic and European textiles, Henri Matisse, Georgia O'Keeffe, Charles Demuth, Pierre Bonnard, Tawaraya Sotatsu, Ito Jakuchu...
    Category

    1980s Contemporary Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

  • Bronze and Steel Sculpture by David Kimball Anderson 'Poppy, Seeds'
    By David Kimball Anderson
    Located in White Plains, NY
    'Poppy, Seeds' by David Kimball Anderson, 2021. Bronze, steel, and paint, 26 x 20 x 8 in. This sculpture features a square vase cast in bronze and finished with a grey patina. It fea...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Still-life Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze, Steel

  • Boulder #2 - The Slide by Tom Price - Rock-like bronze sculpture, smooth
    By Tom Price
    Located in Paris, FR
    Boulder #2 - The Slide is a bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Tom Price, dimensions are 85 × 200 × 130 cm (33.5 × 78.7 × 51.2 in). This artwork is available on commission. It ...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

    Materials

    Bronze

Recently Viewed

View All