Dylan Lewis animal bronzes at Christie's South Kensington June 16th

    South African artist Dylan Lewis is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost sculptors of the animal form. For almost two decades he has exhibited extensively, both in his home country and around the world.  A Christie's auction dedicated to his work in June 2007 was an overwhelming success, firmly placing Dylan on the global art world's stage. The auction was 100% sold and introduced new collectors from all over the world to his work.

    On June 16th a second solo auction of Lewis’s animal works entitled Predators and Prey Part II consisting of 58 animal bronzes ranging from maquettes to life-size, will be auctioned. The sale at Christie's South Kensington will be Lewis’s last solo auction of his animal sculptures.

   Here's one for your lounge.

White Rhino, Life-size bronze
104¾" high; 87½" wide; 177" long
The edition of this cast is AP1, of an edition of 4. Estimate: £250,000-350,000

    The first rhinoceros done by Lewis was a life-size Black Rhino commissioned in 1995 by the then Natal Parks Board for its centenary celebrations. It was the first time that Lewis sculpted on such a massive scale and he so enjoyed the challenge that from then on he began to conceive all of his works as large-scale. The first edition of the Centennial Rhinoceros was unveiled by then President Nelson Mandela and still stands in the Hluhluwe Umfolozi National Park in KwaZulu-Natal, where it was made. In 2000 Lewis returned to the theme of the rhino, this time the White Rhino. The subject was enormously large and bulky, with its dusty, muddy appearance seemed to him the equivalent of landscape made flesh. Once again Lewis has used the compositional idea of merging the animal with the landscape, the triangular shape of the base accentuates the forward thrust of the animal, increasing the dynamic energy of this piece.

   You can view the catalogue online here.

Related Features

• 
  Predators and Prey II, The Dylan Lewis Bronzes [Article]

Tanya Brett sculptures at Jonathan Cooper Gallery until May 28th

   Jonathan Cooper Park Walk Gallery, London, SW10, is staging Ice Souls, a new exhibition from sculptor Tanya Brett until May 28th. Focusing much-needed attention on the plight of the endangered polar bear and other Arctic animals as a result of global warming, the new exhibition will include fifteen ceramic sculptures, bronzes and drawings depicting polar bears, seals, arctic foxes, walruses and arctic hares.

   The exhibition is in support of Hauser Bears (here), a charitable organisation committed to the conservation of bears worldwide.

Swimming Bear - ceramic 54x67x19cm

Tanya Brett with one of her sculptures

   Details of the exhibition can be found here.

14 Ju Ming sculptures going under the hammer at Christie's HK May 28th-29th

  Christie's are to auction 14 Ju Ming Tai-Chi sculptures as part of the Chinese 20th Century Art sales in Hong Kong on May 28th & 29th. You may have seen one his sculptures in Old Park Lane, W1, next to the Metropolitan Hotel.

Ju Ming (b.1938) - Taichi Series - Sparring
  Edition of 6 - two bronze sculptures
left: 81x 61x120 cm. right:128x44x92 cm.
Executed in 1982.

Estimate: HK$2,500,000-3,500,000. 

   You can read Ju Ming's wiki entry here where you'll also find other links as well. You can look at the catalogue of the auctions here and here.

Edouard Martinet exhibition at the Sladmore Gallery, London until June 10th

   Following on from his first exhibition two years ago the Sladmore Gallery is staging a second showing of Edouard Martinet's creations made from bits & pieces of 'found' mechanical items.

   He has continued with the largely insect theme with meticulous crafting of each work, from the tiniest screwed-in hair pin prawn feeler to the road lamp wings of the ladybird. All are underpinned with his sculptor's understanding of the correct form of each piece, the attitude and poise perfectly re-created in his unusual materials.

Wasp on Fruit - 12 ¼" x 9" x 13" (height x length x depth) 

eyes and head : old motorbike sunglasses, bells

antennae : arms of folding glasses

thorax: boot tips, bells from typewriters, bike bell,

wings : pencil holder, glass
legs: spoon handles, bike brakes, bike chain

abdomen : bike headlight, boot tips;    fruit : float

   Edouard Martinet was born in Le Mans, France in 1963 he studied art at ESAG, Paris and graduated in 1988. From 1988 to 1992 he lived and worked in Paris as a graphic designer, and in 1990 started sculpting and staging exhibitions. From 1992 to 1995 he lived in Charente before moving to his current location in Rennes where he teaches art at L'Institut des Arts Appliques.

   You can look at more of the works available here.