Read this Wildlife Art Journal article

Daniel Chester French is celebrated for his immortalization of Abraham Lincoln.  Some would say the Lincoln Memorial, as a point for pilgrimage, is the greatest sculptural edifice in the western world.

French’s portrayal of a seated Lincoln was completed in 1920;  some 27 years earlier, he was instrumental in creating something else—the National Sculpture Society, the oldest organization devoted to celebrating three dimensional figurative art in America.

Historians credit the NSS with being the foundational force in a tradition that includes figurative motifs, architecture, medalions and coinage going back to the 19th century.  (French, for example, was the sculptor who designed the Pulizer Prize gold medal). Wildlife and nature always have factored prominently in the range of subjects highlighted at NSS exhibitions.  2011 is a prime example.


Of over 4500 ballots cast in a short span, Salmon says that six of the top 10 favorites were portrayals of animals.


Robin Salmon is an eyewitness  When the NSS recently premiered a selection of juried works at Brookgreen Gardens—where Salmon is vice president for collections and curator of sculpture—a voting opportunity was presented to thousands of visitors. They were asked to identify their favorite works across a range of subjects. Of over 4500 ballots were cast in a short span, Salmon says that six of the top 10 favorites were portrayals of animals.  “This insight isn’t the result of scientific study;  it is purely based on people’s gut reactions,”  Salmon says.  “Even though sculpture...