Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5

John Denning
Reclining Figure with Bird bronze pedestal sculpture

2003

$4,800
£3,596.71
€4,216.40
CA$6,722.36
A$7,534.62
CHF 3,944.48
MX$92,972.72
NOK 49,550
SEK 46,642.28
DKK 31,454.61
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

Commissioned to create a life-sized reclining figure, John Denning made two maquettes during a stay in a medieval hamlet in France. This is the cast of one of these wax maquettes, finished in a dark bronze patina. Smooth surfaces contrast with highly textured areas, as the figure seems to emerge from a block heavily worked with drips and carvings. As if a ruin herself, the figure’s arm and leg seem partially eroded away, while a bird lighted on her hand connects the sculpture to the present. Edition #2 of 12 was just cast in 2021 and is now available. Other patinas are available by commission. The next edition number (#3 of 5) of the full-size bronze is also available by commission, titled "Caravella Y Falcon." Please contact the gallery for more information. 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)
  • Creation Year:
    2003
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 10.5 in (26.67 cm)Width: 17 in (43.18 cm)Depth: 5 in (12.7 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Glen Ellen, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU7128678992

More From This Seller

View All
Once Upon a Time upon a Rock- playful miniature bronze and stone figures
By Noa Bornstein
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
"Once Upon a Time upon a Rock" relates an intimate moment when a mother reads to her child. The dimensions include the rock and each piece in the edition will vary as each rock will be unique. Edition of 12. Available now is Number 2 in the edition. The bronze figures together measure 1 1/2" x 1" x 3/4" Brooklyn, New York artist Noa Bornstein describes herself as “a draw-er”. Many of her sculptures begin as a quick drawing or impression - from memory, from dreams, or from life itself. “Watching a man walking down the street, I take out my little pad and am compelled to capture something of his gait, the rhythm, shape, whatever attracts my attention,” says Bornstein. Figurative sculptor and painter Noa Bornstein was born in San Rafael, California, and grew up mostly in Los Angeles. She has lived and worked in New York City since 1986. Bornstein holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of California at Santa Cruz. Her sculptures have been shown in many indoor and outdoor venues, including at the Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art in Florida, the Rotunda Gallery in Brooklyn, and Grounds for Sculpture, Toad Hall...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Bronze

"Why Fight When You Can Play?" 4 pairs of interactive bronze figures
By Noa Bornstein
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
"Why Fight When you Can Play?" is a set of playful, interactive, figurative sculptures sold in pairs. Each pair consists of one standing and one crouching figure in cast bronze. Seri...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Why Fight When You Can Play?" 2 pairs of interactive bronze figures
By Noa Bornstein
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
"Why Fight When you Can Play?" is a set of playful, interactive, figurative sculptures sold in pairs. Each pair consists of one standing and one crouching figure in cast bronze. Seri...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Woman Reading on Smooth Rock" miniature bronze figure on smooth river rock
By Noa Bornstein
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
A miniature bronze woman is reading. She found the perfect rock to settle on! This is number 4 in an edition of 12, but each edition number varies slightly due to the unique found ro...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Bronze

"Why Fight When You Can Play?" 3 pairs of interactive bronze figures
By Noa Bornstein
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
"Why Fight When you Can Play?" is a set of playful, interactive, figurative sculptures sold in pairs. Each pair consists of one standing and one crouching figure in cast bronze. Seri...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Once Upon a Time with Bear" interactive bronze figures
By Noa Bornstein
Located in Glen Ellen, CA
"Once Upon a Time with Bear" is a playful, interactive sculpture set with three miniature bronzes and natural stones placed on a cherry wood base. The storyteller figure (Griot) sits...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone, Bronze

You May Also Like

Don Quixote - Bronze Sculpture
Located in Winterswijk, NL
Sculpture Don Quixote (on horseback, holding spear); Unique original work, handcrafted, carved, chiseled, patinated, polished, and mounted on a pedestal by the artist. Artist state...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Granite, Bronze

"Martinet" Bronze Sculpture 11" x 5" x 2" inch by Sarkis Tossonian
By Sarkis Tossonian
Located in Culver City, CA
"Martinet" Bronze Sculpture 11" x 5" x 2" inch by Sarkis Tossonian Sarkis Tossoonian was born in Alexandria in 1953. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts/Sculpture in 1979. He...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Echo 2
Located in New York, NY
Johannes Nielsen (b.1979) was born in Falkenberg, Sweden. He is an artist who uses bronze sculpture to celebrate life and its beauty. He believes that sculptures of the human body ca...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

Girl in Mini Dress LXXXII-contemporary bronze sculpture, female with white dress
By Susanne Kraisser
Located in Hamburg, DE
"Girl with Mini Dress" is a small, free-standing bronze sculpture with a white dress from established sculptress Susanne Kraißer. Edition 18, signed, numbered and dated on the bottom...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Read the Ocean" figurative bronze table sculpture courage boy enjoy life surf
By Mireia Serra
Located in Kowloon, Hong Kong
Capturing moments when you challenge yourself, ride on the wave and enjoy. Read the Ocean is about courage, about taking up challenges and be happy with oneself. "Our lives are comp...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze

"Capturing Moments" figurative bronze sculpture relax carefree boy travel life
By Mireia Serra
Located in Kowloon, Hong Kong
When was the last time you broke yourself from the hustle and bustle of the daily routine, spent quality time with yourself, taking snapshots that capture moments of your life? Edi...
Category

2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Bronze