Opera Dog
BARRY FLANAGAN
Opera Dog
The sculpture was created in 1981 in cast bronze by late Barry Flanagan (1941-2009). It measures 31 3/4 x 11 x 34 1/8 in / 80.6 x 27.9 x 86.7 cm. Barry was a Irish-Welsh sculptor born in Prestatyn, Wales. He is most known for his dynamic, often large-scale hares, which he created after witnessing them running on the Sussex Downs. The Opera Dog is a whimsical sculpture of a life-size dog. The use of bronze, cast in clay, the sculpture comes to life with an attentive face and alert ears.
The sculpture, which was previously housed in Key Theatre, has been placed in storage. Its final location has not yet been decided. You can get in touch with Nene Park Trust for more details regarding its location.
Flanagan was a well-known sculptor whose work can be found in public collections all over the world, and his bronze sculptures have been displayed in a variety of outdoor settings, including Park Avenue in New York and Grant Park in Chicago. He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale in 1982. He attended St Martin’s School of Art in London, where he studied and later taught1.
Please get in touch if you have any information on the Opera Dog that you would like to share. Thank you.
References:
1 Nene Park (nd) Peterborough Sculpture Park (online) Available at: https://www.nenepark.org.uk/peterborough-sculpture-collection (Accessed: 12 January 2022)
Images:
Figure 1: Fu, R (2018) Opera Dog in Key Theatre [image]
Figure 2: Plubronze (nd) Opera Dog [image] Available at: https://www.barryflanagan.com/artworks/opera-dog/ [Accessed 02 April 2022]
Figure 3-5: The Estate of Barry Flanagan/Bridgeman Art Library (nd) Opera Dog [image] Available at: https://www.barryflanagan.com/artworks/opera-dog/?collection=25833 [Accessed 02 April 2022]