Sculptor Bjørn Okholm Skaarup, Circus, 2022,bronze and steel, 78 x 39 x 117 in. (198.1 x 99.1 x 297.2 cm) Image courtesy Cavalier Gallery
A Koala Bassoonist! A Rhino Strongman! In Bjørn Okholm Skaarup’s grand “Circus” installation, the animals themselves are running the show. The artwork, entitled Circus, is made of bronze and steel. It measures 78 x 39 x 117 inches. The full installation is on view through May, 2023 at Cavalier Gallery, 530 West 24th Street in Chelsea.
Bjørn Okholm Skaarup, Hippo Ballerina, Hippo Ballerina, pirouette, and Rhino Harlequin, pirouette at their new destination at One Dag Hammarskjöld. Images courtesy Cavalier Galleries
Last year, New Yorkers in and around Pershing Square were treated to the whimsical outdoor sculpture installations created by Danish artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup affectionately named Hippo Ballerina, Hippo Ballerina, pirouette, and Rhino Harlequin, pirouette.
Now, a smaller version of Hippo Ballerina has been installed at One Dag Hammarskjöld alongside her friends, Hippo Ballerina, pirouette and Rhino Harlequin, pirouette.
Cavalier Gallery is pleased to reveal the return of Hippo Ballerina. The iconic bronze sculpture, installed in New York City’s Pershing Square Plaza West located on the west side of Park Avenue between East 41st and East 42nd Streets in Midtown Manhattan. Created by Danish artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup, the monumental sculpture will be accompanied by Hippo Ballerina, pirouette and Rhino Harlequin, pirouette permitted as part of the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program.
Hippo Ballerina at Lincoln Center District in 2017 in Dante Park
The Flatiron Partnership just welcomed Hippo Ballerina, by Danish artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup, to the South Plaza. Inspired by Degas’ Little Dancer Aged Fourteen (Petite danseuse de quatorze ans) and the dancing hippos of Walt Disney’s Fantasia, Hippo Ballerina vividly illustrates the artist’s ability to reinterpret subjects and themes found in ancient myths, art history, modern animation, and contemporary popular culture in playful ways that engage the viewer.