Oblivious
Artist
Dan Ostermiller
(American, born 1956)
Welder
Sam Lueker
(American)
Date2009, modeled 2007
Mediumbronze
Dimensions126 × 93 × 47 inches (320 × 236.2 × 119.4 cm)
Approximately 4000 lb. (1814.4 kg)
Approximately 4000 lb. (1814.4 kg)
Credit LinePurchase of the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 2009
Object number2009.4.1
ClassificationsSculptures
DescriptionMonumental bronze sculpture depicting a sleeping bear at the top of a tree trunk. The sculpture is cast bronze with a stainless steel framework.Label TextIn "Oblivious", Ostermiller playfully addressed themes of nature and interaction. The inspiration for the sculpture was an Asian black bear sleeping on a perch in a zoo. The artist depicted the bear in the sculpture as an integral part of the natural world. The bear’s body seems united with the tree. Ostermiller made a dramatically balanced composition. The artist cantilevered the mass of the bear at the top of the diagonal tree trunk. He modeled the bear with attention to anatomy, but also to make a contained, rounded, and pleasing shape. The bear is oblivious to anything occurring around him, including the viewer’s gaze. Nature remains constant.
ProvenanceArtist; purchased August 18, 2009 through (Nedra Matteucci Galleries, Santa Fe, New Mexico) by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation; accessioned to the Stark Museum of Art
On View
On view
Antonio Vanetti