Large Nijinski on Anvil Point

Hares became a main theme of Barry Flanagan’s work in the 1970s after he witnessed a leaping hare on the Sussex Downs. He developed the theme over the next 30 years, giving his hares an energy, litheness and character that echo human emotions and traits.

Large Nijinski on Anvil Point takes inspiration from Rodin’s figurine of the Russian ballet dancer, Vaslav Nijinsky, who was celebrated for his enormous leaps and evocative choreography. Flanagan blends the animate with the inanimate, the human-made with the natural to challenge our perceptions of the natural and human worlds. The solid form of the anvil is contrasted against the lightness of the hare, with its worked metal capturing the animal’s vitality.
Large Nijinski on Anvil Point by Barry Flanagan has returned to YSP – the sculpture was last on display here in 2009. Look out for the hare balanced on a giant anvil in Lower Park, near to Bretton Hall.