Bear and Her Cub - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 58.324 W 075° 11.694
18S E 483356 N 4424675
Stunningly beautiful and simple sculpture of momma bear and her cub, seemingly sculpted from a single piece of black granite can be found at the Philadelphia Zoological Garden at the entrance to Bear Country at the Philadelphia Zoo.
Waymark Code: WMDFE5
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2012
Views: 5
I ran into this sculpture near the exit, on our way out of the zoo. It was on the west side of the zoo, not to far form the North 34th Street exit and from the street itself. The bears are part of the Bear Country attraction. This zoo is full of sculptures. Each exhibit, like the bear attraction, has a sculpture outside of it to represent what can be found on the inside.
The bears were sculpted by Joseph J. Greenberg, Jr. (local artist) (1915-1991) in 1957. The bears were installed Sept. 19, 1957 and dedicated in May of 1958. Greenberg's name is in the back of the sculpture along with the date. SIRIS describes the statue as a mother bear standing beside her cub which is seated on her proper right. The bears dimensions are: Sculpture: approx. 49 x 68 1/2 x 32 in. (4 tons); Base: H. 11 in. made of some really cool black Coopersburg granite.
The work was originally commissioned by Markley Stevenson, a landscape architect and member of Fairmount Park Art Association, for installation in a park in West Philadelphia. Although funds were short, the Association agreed to buy the piece and present to Philadelphia Zoological Garden.
I walked around the zoo and saw other pieces by this artist. Greenberg's work for the zoo, including a chimp and gorilla, are easily recognizable. Children, including my own, were climbing on these lovable creatures. The obituary for this local artist can be found HERE. Another obit in one of our local on-line papers can be found HERE. In each obituary, this sculpture is mentioned which attests to its popularity.