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Leaping Hare on Crescent and Bell by Barry Flanagan in Broadgate Arena

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Broadgate near Liverpool Street station is the location of a number of fascinating works of art, one of the most popular is Leaping Hare on Crescent and Bell by Barry Flanagan. Flanagan was born in 1941, in North Wales. In the 1950s, he studied architecture at Birmingham College of Art and Crafts and sculpture at Saint Martin’s School of Art in London from 1964 to 1966.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

He was best known for several permanent public sculptures, such as his giant bronze Hare on Bell in Man in New York, Thinker on a Rock in Washington, D.C and Leaping Hare on Crescent and Bell at Broadgate. The sculpture in Broadgate is made of patinated bronze and was unveiled in 1988.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

All these sculptures show the playfulness of Flanagan’s work, play was an important aspect of his work. He had his first solo show in London in 1960s followed by exhibitions in Amsterdam, in Berne and the Hayward Gallery.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

In his later work, the hare became Flanagan’s emblem, he was fascinated by its fun and symbolic nature. Flanagan’s hares are well known public sculptures all around the world. Flanagan died in 2009 of motor neurone disease.

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London Sculptures : Allies by Lawrence Holofcener in New Bond Street

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

‘Allies’ is a popular statue of Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt in New Bond Street, the sculpture was a gift from the Bond Street Association to the City of Westminster and the people of London to commemorate 50 years of peace. It was unveiled in 1995 by Princess Margaret and shows the two statesman enjoying a chat on a bench. Since it was unveiled it has become a popular tourist attraction with visitors sitting on the bench between two politicians.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The sculpture was created by Lawrence Holofcener who was an American-British sculptor, poet, lyricist, playwright, novelist, actor and director.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Holofcener who died in 2017 at the age of 91 had a varied career, writing Broadway stage scores, acting in Stop the World – I Want to Get Off and Hello, Dolly! plus writing books.

Holofcener had his first art exhibition in 1979 and commisions include “Faces of Olivier”, Queen Victoria and Thomas Paine.

He is best known for the  ‘Allies’ sculpture which was so popular that he was asked to makes some small copies to sell to collectors. He agreed, but did not have anything to work from in his studio and had to spend five days in front of his own work in the street in order to make the replicas.

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Great London Sculptures: The Broad Family by Xavier Corberó in Broadgate

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The Broad Family is a series of sculptures on a massive scale but is a family portrait of two parents with a child and even a dog with a ball. Although the family is created in an abstract form, if you look closer, two highly polished shoes can be seen peeking from under the child’s figure. This surreal aspect shows the artist ability to use materials and space and offers the odd surprise.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Xavier Corberó was a Catalan sculptor, best known for his public sculpture and was also the designer of the 1992 Summer Olympics medals.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Corberó was born in 1935 in Barcelona and studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London in the 1950s. In the 1960s, the artist acquired an house and plot of land in Esplugues de Llobregat, a village in the outskirts of Barcelona, and developed a complex for artists and exhibition spaces. The complex also houses a significant sample of Corberó’s sculptures and personal collections.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Corberó had his first individual exhibition in Munich in 1963 and had exhibitions in New York City, Japan, and many European cities. His large sculptures can be seen in Barcelona, London, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Beirut, Kuwait City, Chicago, and New York City.

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London Sculptures : Sherlock Holmes by John Doubleday in Baker Street

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

One of London’s  most famous fictional characters is Sherlock Holmes created by Arthur Conan Doyle, despite his fame, there was no statue to the great detective in London until 1999. A statue was previously suggested by a number of writers including G. K. Chesterton but these suggestions came to nothing.

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A campaign for a statue gained momentum in the late 1990s with Abbey National offering to fund the statue because of their connection with Holmes. Abbey National had their headquarters at 215-229 Baker Street and they employed a member of staff to respond to any letters addressed to Holmes at 221B.

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The sculptor, John Doubleday who was commissioned for the project had already produced a statue of Holmes for the town of Meiringen in Switzerland, below the Reichenbach Falls whence the detective fell to his apparent death in the story “The Final Problem”.

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The 3-metre-high (9.8 ft) statue entitled The Great Detective depicts Holmes wearing his deerstalker hat and holding a pipe in a traditional pose made famous by Sidney Paget, the illustrator of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories for The Strand Magazine.

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The statue which was unveiled in 1999 is located outside Baker Street Station and has became a popular attraction for Sherlock Holmes fans from all over the world.

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Great London Sculptures: The Broadgate Venus by Fernando Botero


© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Broadgate Venus is a five tonnes sculpture by Colombian artist Fernando Botero located in Exchange Square near to Liverpool Street Station. The ‘Venus’ was specially commissioned in 1989 and is a ‘favourite’ amongst the city workers and locals.

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The Venus is an example of “Boterismo”, a style developed by Colombian artist Fernando Botero which depicts people and figures in large exaggerated form for political or humorous effect.

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Botero was born in Medellín was once enrolled in matador school before his artistic talent was recognised.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Botero’s work was first exhibited in 1948 in Colombia before he travelled to Barcelona and Madrid. where he studied at the Academia de San Fernando. In the 1950s, Botero moved to Paris and Florence to study before making Paris his permanent home although he makes regular trips to his native city of Medellin.

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Botero is considered one of the leading artists in Latin America and his art is found in many major cities around the world. His art is collected by many major international museums, corporations, and private collectors.

London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
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There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
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Great London Sculptures: Kindertransport – The Arrival by Frank Meisler at Liverpool Street Station

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Kindertransport – The Arrival is a bronze memorial sculpture by Frank Meisler which is located in the entrance to Liverpool Street station in London. The sculpture commemorates the 10,000 Jewish children who escaped Nazi persecution and arrived at the station during 1938–1939. The memorial was installed in 2006 and was commissioned by World Jewish Relief and the Association of Jewish Refugees.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The Kindertransport was a rescue effort that took place just before the outbreak of the Second World War. It was estimated that the United Kingdom took in around 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland. The children were placed in a variety of foster homes, hostels and schools. This action saved the life of the children because they were often the only members of their families who survived the Holocaust.

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Frank Meisler who created the sculpture had a personal experience of Kindertransport, Frank Meisler was born into a Jewish family in Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland), he was evacuated by the Kindertransport in 1939, travelling with other Jewish children via Berlin to the Netherlands and then to Liverpool Street station in London. His parents were arrested after his departure and were later murdered at Auschwitz concentration camp.

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Meisler was raised by a grandmother, who lived in London and did national service in the Royal Air Force before studying architecture at the University of Manchester.

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He moved to Israel in 1960 and has created a number of Kindertransport memorials all around Europe and sculptures in Israel and Russia.

London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
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London Sculptures: The Meeting Place by Paul Day at St Pancras Railway Station

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The Meeting Place is a 9-metre-high (30 ft), 20-tonne bronze sculpture stands on the upper level of St Pancras railway station near the Eurostar terminal.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The sculpture was designed by the British artist Paul Day and unveiled in 2007 and was commissioned to be the centrepiece of the newly refurbished station.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The sculpture of a couple locked in a embrace is intended to illustrate the romance of travel. Around the bronze relief frieze around the plinth is several scenes depicting various passengers undertaking travel.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The sculpture received a poor reception from art critics but has been become popular with the public. It has led to the reputation of St Pancras station being a romantic meeting place.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The sculpture was commissioned by London & Continental Railways and offers an unusual experience by taking different views from different vantage points in the station.

London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
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London Statues: Fearless Girl in Paternoster Square

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Fearless Girl by Kristen Visbal was made famous for being sited in 2017 near the Wall Street’s bull in New York. The statue was a hit with tourists and the internet.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

A copy of the statue of was installed in March in the City of London’s financial district to highlight the importance of female leaders in business.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Situated near St Paul’s, Fearless Girl seems a little lonely with only Elizabeth Frink’s sheep statue for company.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The statue is expected to remain in Paternoster Square until the end of June.

London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
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London Sculptures: The Young Lovers by Georg Ehrlich in the Festival Gardens in London


© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The Two Lovers statue by Georg Ehrlich features a young man and woman joined in an embrace in Festival Gardens with a dramatic backdrop of St Paul’s Cathedral. It was installed in the garden in 1973.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Georg Ehrlich was a Austrian sculptor who was born and studied in Vienna, during the First World War he served in the Austrian Army. After short stays in Munich and Berlin. he began to get some recognition for his etchings and lithographs. But returned to Vienna in 1924, and began to concentrate on building a career as a sculptor.

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In 1930 he married the artist Bettina Bauer. After the rise of the Nazi’s, Ehrlich decided that it was too dangerous for them to be in Austria and they moved to London. Ehrlich became a British citizen in 1947 and was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1962.

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Ehrlich’s work was shown at the Venice Biennale in 1932, 1934, 1936 and 1958 and he won a gold medal at the Paris World Exposition in 1937.

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

The artist has works in the Tate Gallery, British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. He died in Switzerland in 1966 and was buried in Vienna.

London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
We have sections on Museums and Art Galleries, Transport, Food and Drink, Places to Stay, Security, Music, Sport, Books and many more.
There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
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Great London Sculptures: The Burghers of Calais by Auguste Rodin in Victoria Tower Gardens

© 2019 Visiting London Guide.com – Photograph by Alan Kean

Visitors to the Houses of Parliament, often ignore the Victoria Tower Gardens nearby. The gardens offer some wonderful riverfront views and have pieces of art to admire. One of the largest and most prestigious is The Burghers of Calais, by French sculptor, Auguste Rodin.

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Appropriately, considering it is within the shadow of the Houses of Parliament it represents the idea of freedom from oppression. The sculpture is based on an incident during the Hundred Years War, Calais had been surrounded for a year by English soldiers under King Edward III when in 1347, six leading citizens of Calais, the Burghers, offered to die if Edward spared the rest of the town’s people.

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It was this moment of heroic self-sacrifice that Rodin captures in his sculpture. In the end, an intervention by Edward’s wife, Queen Philippa pleaded on the Burghers behalf and they and the people of Calais were allowed to leave.

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Rodin was commissioned to undertake this work of art in the 1880s and his original sculpture was completed in 1889 and took pride of place outside Calais town hall. Rodin later made a number of casts, this one was bought by the National Art Collection Fund in 1911 and the artist himself came to London to give advice on where the sculpture should be erected.

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This particular sculpture was cast in 1908, installed in 1914 and unveiled in 1915. Over the last century, the sculpture is considered to be one of Rodin greatest works and further casts have been installed in museums and art galleries all over the world.

London Visitors is the official blog for the Visiting London Guide .com website. The website was developed to bring practical advice and latest up to date news and reviews of events in London.
Since our launch in January 2014, we have attracted thousands of readers each month, the site is constantly updated.
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There are also hundreds of links to interesting articles on our blog.
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