HARE THEME C III, 2002 by Barry Flanagan Lot n° 25

Barry Flanagan OBE, RA, 1941-2009 HARE THEME C III, 2002 Cast bronze,12 1/2" x 9" x 6" (31.8 × 22.9 × 15.2cm), signed and dated to underside of base "F8/02". Provenance: Waddington Galleries, London, January/February 2004, No. 47. Literature: Barry Flanagan: Linear Sculptures in Bronze and Stone Carvings, Waddington Galleries, 2004, illustrated. Born in Wales, Flanagan lived in London and, later, in Dublin, becoming an Irish citizen. In this country many people formed an affectionate attachment to his work when in 2006 ten of his famous hare sculptures were temporarily installed along Dublin’s O’Connell Street. He’s well known all over the world for his large dancing hares, like the one at the entrance to IMMA. They all take on human qualities, celebrating the exuberance, eccentricity and fun in the human spirit. You might find one of his hares playing drums, jiving, or even playing cricket. Flanagan’s approach is playful and irreverent, seeming to mock the pompous pretentiousness that underpins much contemporary art. In doing so, his work appeals to a broad audience who are able to connectdirectly—visually and emotionally—without the need for overly intellectual theoretical jargon. In 1980 Flanagan was invited to exhibit his ‘rope drawings’ in ROSC. A precursor of what was to follow later, the ropes were abstract drawings in space. Visually, he has always thought in linear terms, in the same way, perhaps, that ‘lines’ underpin the paintings of artists like Daumier or Toulouse Lautrec. In a Flanagan sculpture, the linear movement of a piece, rather than its volume, is the main conveyer of emotion. A superb draughtman, he shows the same spontaneous fluidity when modelling with pipe cleaners (eventually dipped in wax and then cast in bronze), as in his 2002Hare Theme C III.Abstract lines twist and turn, activating the empty space around the sculpture, with the shape of a bounding hare unexpectedly materialising in a surprising flash. Signed and dated to underside of base ‘F 8/02’