| Gorilla | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Artist | David Wynne |
| Completion date | 1961; 64 years ago (1961) |
| Type | sculpture |
| Medium | Marble |
| Subject | Guy the Gorilla |
| Dimensions | 1.2 m (3.9 ft) |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 51°25′08″N0°03′53″W / 51.4188°N 0.0646°W /51.4188; -0.0646 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Official name | Gorilla sculpture |
| Designated | 19 January 2016 |
| Reference no. | 1431362 |
TheGorilla sculpture byDavid Wynne stands beside the Lower Lake inCrystal Palace Park, inBromley in south-east London. Completed in 1961 and installed in 1962, the black marble sculpture depictsGuy the Gorilla, awestern lowland gorilla brought from West Africa toLondon Zoo in 1947. It became aGrade II listed structure in 2016.
Guy the Gorilla was born at some point in 1946 in what was thenFrench Cameroon.[2] Captured in 1947, he arrived at London Zoo on 5 November 1947 (Guy Fawkes Day) and was christened "Guy". He became one of the zoo's major attractions, famed for his gentle disposition. He died in 1978 of a heart attack while undergeneral anaesthetic during an operation to extract a tooth.[3] Histaxidermied remains are displayed at the entrance to the "Treasures" gallery in the central Hintze Hall at theNatural History Museum.[4] In addition to the sculpture at Crystal Palace Park, Guy is also commemorated by a bronze statue byWilliam Timym, which was installed at London Zoo in 1982.[5]
In 1959,David Wynne was commissioned throughLondon County Council's Patronage of the Arts Scheme to create a large animal sculpture, with the site to be determined later. Wynne had studied zoology at theUniversity of Cambridge, and he chose the popular Guy the Gorilla as his subject. The work was completed in 1961, and the finished sculpture was installed in 1962 near thechildren's zoo atCrystal Palace Park. (The children's zoo closed around 1990.) The statue was subsequently credited with launching Wynne's artistic career. Never popular with the art establishment, Wynne's figurative sculptures, mainly of animals but also of such people of note asThomas Beecham,John Gielgud andThe Beatles, won affection from the public. Among his most controversial works was the centrepiece to theQueen Elizabeth Gate atHyde Park Corner. Wynne died in 2014.[6]
The sculpture of Guy the Gorilla is made of polished black fossiliferousBelgian marble and stands 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) high on a marble base with a roughly finishedgranite plinth. The base bears the sculptor's name and the date—"David Wynne 1961"—and the title "GORILLA" is carved into the plinth. The gorilla is standing on all fours: Wynne wanted the "powerful" form to convey "all his feelings of awe and terror and love for this mighty beast".[1] Jo Darke, in her history of English and Welsh monuments, notes that Wynne's intention for the piece to be an interactive sculpture was achieved; "children pat, stroke and climb as well as look".[7]
It stands on the north side of the Lower Lake in Crystal Palace Park, near the park café. TheCrystal Palace Dinosaurs are installed on an island further around the lake:Pevsner notes that Guy is "a recent addition to the herd".[8] The work was listed atGrade II, the grading given to buildings and structures of "special interest", in 2016.[1] The park itself is listed at Grade II* in theRegister of Parks and Gardens,[9] and the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs have a Grade I listing.[10]
Media related toGorilla by David Wynne at Wikimedia Commons
