Smiling goofily from their wooden mounts sit the imaginings of Dr. Seuss, animals with bizarre names like the Turtle-Necked Sea-Turtle, Two Horned Douberhannis, and Semi-Normal Green-Lidded Fawn. The beasts were not designed by fanatics of Dr. Seuss’ famous children’s books, but are based on works created by the man himself over 80 years ago, each originating from an obscure collection of paintings, drawings, and sculpture known as The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss Collection.
These particular sculptures are resin casts adapted from Theodor Seuss Geisel’s (aka Dr. Seuss) Collection of Unorthodox Taxidermy. The original works utilized actual remains of lions, rabbits, and deer that died at the Springfield Zoo where his father was a director. Geisel used these ears, antlers, and shells to form realistic copies of his 2D fictional characters and asked his wife Audrey Geisel to wait until after this death to reveal his works to the public. Audrey stayed true to his wish and waited until 1997, six years after his death, to begin commissioning the sculptures.
The 3D doppelgängers, part of a traveling exhibition titled If I Ran the Zoo, each bear a posthumously printed or engraved signature by the late artist, commissioned specifically by the Dr. Seuss Estate. The exhibition of 17 sculptures in their entirety along with rare paintings and drawings will be on view at LaMantia Gallery in Northport, New York from November 12-27, 2016. The exhibition is timed with the release of the Powerless Puffer, the final cast resin sculpture in the series. (via The Creators Project)
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