After starting our day on the National Mall at the Smithsonian Castle, Jimmy and I split up. He headed northwest to the American History Museum and I headed northeast to see art. Walking through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, I overheard parts of a phone conversation that went something like this. “I’ve been waiting for you for 10 minutes at the statue of the large bunny… What do you mean you’re at the statue of the large bunny?…”
Hopefully, they figured out that on the National Mall there are two sculpture gardens and each garden has a statue of a large rabbit by artist Barry Flanagan.
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| Thinker on a Rock (1997) and The Drummer (1989-1990) artist: Barry Flanagan |
Thinker on a Rock is located in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. It is located in the middle of the north side of the National Mall (between the Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery of Art). The Drummer is located in the Sculpture Garden of the Hirshhorn Museum. It is located directly south of the other sculpture garden (in front of the Hirshhorn Museum).
These sculptures might look familiar, even if you haven’t been to Washington DC. From 1979 to 2008, Barry Flanagan created many bronze sculptures that featured hares doing human-like things: drumming, thinking, leaping, dancing, boxing. For each, Flanagan modelled a figure of a hare in soft clay. The clay model was then cast into bronze sculptures, usually in a series of from 5 to 8, that retain the marks he made by hand in the clay. Flanagans sculptures are on display throughout the world, maybe even in a place closer to where you are than Washington DC.
Thinker on a Rock was cast in 1997 in a series of five.In addition to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, this sculpture is currently on public view at the following locations:
- Utrecht, Netherlands – Google street view showing the sculpture provided by Ramblin’ Rangecommander
- Papajohn Sculpture Park, Des Moines Iowa
- Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
The Drummer was cast in 1989 and 1990 in a series of seven. In addition to the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, this sculpture is currently on public view at the following locations:
- In a park on Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills California
- On the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin
Donna's New Day 
Too funny. I guess they needed to be a little more specific than “large bunny”…
Liz A. from Laws of Gravity
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It's funny but really easy to understand how it could happen. It's easy to get disoriented on the Mall. And if you've never seen a Flanagan hare statue before it would be easy to assume that big bunny statue would be a good enough description.
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I have been to the Irish museum so have probably seen that – don't have a picture of it, but do have one of a sculpted elephant balancing on its trunk!
I hope that couple found each other, that's so funny.
Anabel at Anabel's Travel Blog
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OMG Love these bunnies!!! Rodin eat your heart out:) These are great and much better to look at than the big spider outside the Ottawa art museum (supposed to represent mother…really!)
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Two bunny statues! That's hilarious!!!
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I found a picture of that elephant online. Much more worthy of a photo than these silly bunnies.
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That is one nasty spider. Found a Wikipedia article with a photo and I really can't understand why 5 museums have a 30 foot tall sculpture of a spider.
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The hirshhorn purchased The Drummer a couple of years before the Pappajohns donated Thinker on a Rock. Either Mr or Mrs Papajohn really loved that statue. They bought 2 of them!
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