Bjorn Skaarup

Bjorn Skaarup (born 1973 in Rudkobing, Denmark) is a Danish sculptor known for his carnivalesque statues of an exotic bestiary of animals.

Biography

Skaarup obtained his MA in history and art history from the University of Copenhagen and his Phd. in history from the European University Institute in Firenze.

As a sculptor Skaarup is an auto-didact. In describing his work the artist states "My animal sculptures represent a number of characters that have been given man-made and cultural tools and attributes that underline their particular traits – the dignity and supremacy of the majestic lion, the chivalrous nature of the ermine, the speed of the cheetah, the height of the giraffe, and the heavenly aspirations of the ostrich... The sculptures are a celebration of life and nature and its many intriguing shapes and creatures, all placed in peculiar and surreal encounters between nature and culture. The result is a group of bronze sculptures that combines the gracious and exclusive with the communicative, distorted and humorous."

Skaarup's was the subject of a solo exhibition at the Bruce Museum of Arts and Science in Greenwich, Connecticut in 2016.

Since 2009 he has been a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors.

From February 7. 2017 until July 31, 2017 Skaaarup's "Hippo Ballerina" is on display as exhibited by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation in Dante Park across from Lincoln Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City.