Reaching Elephant
By Kent Ulberg
Category: Sculpture
About
This nineteen-foot-tall sculpture of an African elephant rearing up was installed beneath a honey locust tree trimmed to resemble an acacia (a tree native to the African Savannah), so that it seems to be reaching for a branch. Many details were painstakingly included, such as the intricate wrinkles on the hide and the chipped tusk.
Dimensions: 19′
Year Completed: 2010
Material: Bronze
Owner: City of St. Louis
*Photo Courtesy of Forest Park Forever.
About the artist:
Kent Ulberg
b. 1946
Ullberg is one of the foremost wildlife sculptors in the world. In making this piece, he drew on his personal experience with elephants while working at the Botswana National Museum and Gallery. He said, “I do not sculpt anything without direct personal experience. And I know elephants better than most. I know their kindness, that they are social. I want children to see the preciousness of nature.”
