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

$16,500
£12,552.71
€14,677.96
CA$23,075.98
A$25,923.25
CHF 13,796.06
MX$320,550.93
NOK 168,106.51
SEK 162,534.87
DKK 109,483.90
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

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 Seller

View All
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

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

"Bronze from Cube" unique sculpture
By Mary Shaffer
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
Artist Mary Shaffer used a glass original to cast the long piece of bronze "flowing" from the geometric cube cast for the top. Mary Shaffer has worked primarily in glass since the 1...
Category

1990s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Moonlight" unique bronze sculpture
By Gerard Tsutakawa
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
Many of Gerard Tsutakawa’s home-sized sculptures, and some of his public ones, have a geometric window that allows the viewer to go through and beyond the form. In “Moonlight,” this small circle becomes the moon and one can go through its phases simply by moving from side to side, the highly polished edges of the circle’s edges mimicking delicate moonlight peering through the night of the dark patina surrounding it. "Moonlight" is finely hand-crafted in fabricated bronze, as opposed to cast, and is therefore one-of-a-kind rather than an edition. Finished with the artist’s rich, dark patina with bluish tinges and a polished inner circle. Gerard Tsutakawa’s designs are a confluence of the cultures and traditions of the Pacific Rim. Tsutakawa grew up with a rich heritage of Japanese design creativity and sensibility combined with a lifetime spent in the Pacific Northwest’s beautiful natural environment. Exposure to the esthetics of cultures around the Pacific Rim instilled a humanistic approach to his creative process. He gathers images as bold as a Tongan war club, or as sensitive as folded origami paper, and creates a subliminal integration as a new art form.   Tsutakawa apprenticed with his father, the late George Tsutakawa...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Streaming Obelisk" pedestal kinetic sculpture
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
Sculptor Jeff Glode Wise's expertise as a jewelry maker is immediately evident in the pedestal-sized kinetic sculpture "Streaming Obelisk." The mixed media ...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Concrete, Bronze, Gold

"Sempre" bronze abstract sculpture on marble base
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
Elegant bronze sculpture with patina on a black marble base, by Italian-Romanian sculptor Flavius Pisapia. Approximate completion time: 12 weeks. Editi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

You May Also Like

Pooja, sculpture by Guy Dill, abstract, contemporary, bronze sculpture, indoor
By Guy Dill
Located in Santa Fe, NM
Pooja, sculpture by Guy Dill, abstract, contemporary, bronze sculpture, indoor, outdoor Contact us with expected delivery times. Abstract sculptor GUY DILL is well-known and in suc...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Black and Gold Gingko by Kuno Vollet Contemporary Bronze sculpture on granite
By Kuno Vollet
Located in DE
Artist: Kuno Vollet Title: Grey Bronze Gingko with 8 leaves sculpture four or three of them in gold leaf - arrangement of gold leaves can be chosen by client. Base can be chosen be...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Gold, Bronze

Grey 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

John Van Alstine - Tiller VI, Sculpture 2020
By John Van Alstine
Located in Greenwich, CT
Stone and metal, usually granite or slate, and found object steel are central in my sculpture. The interaction of these materials is a major focus. On the most basic level, the work ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Granite, Bronze

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. 8 e...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Signs and Writings No. 7 by Martine Demal - Bronze sculpture, abstract, dark
By Martine Demal
Located in Paris, FR
Signs and Writings No. 7 is a bronze sculpture by contemporary artist Martine Demal, dimensions are 34 × 33 × 17 cm (13.4 × 12.9 × 6.7 in). The sculpture is signed and numbered, it ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze