Animals Take the Stage. Sculptures by Antoine-Louis Barye

The sculptures pose many questions: why was cattle suddenly herded into 19th-century art? Can elephants actually run like other animals? And what do Barye’s small statues tell us about the human view of nature?

Animals assume a new role in the art of the 19th century. No longer decorative props, they became creatures with characters of their own. Artists like Barye were inspired by the period’s new zoos, scientific discoveries, the advance of industrial farming, debates on animal rights and a growing fascination with pet animals.

Barye became known as ‘the Michelangelo of the Menagerie’. His sculptures combine dramatic imagination with anatomical precision, every muscle the result of close, detailed studies of nature.

The exhibition shows the Glyptotek’s collection of 34 small bronze sculptures, almost all of them cast during the artist’s lifetime. They testify to his technical brilliance – from the delicate chasing to the meticulous patination – and a historical period when nature was seen with new eyes. Barye’s portrayal of animals is underpinned by ideas about science, civilisation and the relationship of humankind to nature. The question is whether our view of animals is any different today?