Robert Glen
Born
Robert Glen was born on May 24, 1939, in Nairobi, Kenya, to Scottish parents. He passed away in 2023.
Early Life
Glen spent most of his life in Africa, where his early fascination with both natural history and art developed. He left school at the age of 14 and pursued an apprenticeship in taxidermy in Denver, Colorado, at the Coloman Jonas Studios. This experience sparked his enduring passion for sculpture and provided a deep understanding of animal anatomy.
Career
After returning to Kenya in 1959, Glen spent a decade refining his sculptural skills in the tradition of European animalier artists while continuing his taxidermy work. During this time, he created scientific collections of birds, mammals, and reptiles for North American museums, traveling widely across Africa, from Cameroon to Madagascar.
In 1970, he became a full-time sculptor, focusing initially on African wildlife before expanding his subject matter to include African people and domestic animals. His work gained international recognition, and his sculptures entered major public and private collections worldwide.
Glen lived and worked for many years in Ruaha National Park with his partner, the painter and writer Sue Stolberger. Together, they were dedicated to conservation efforts in the Ruaha River valley and founded the Idodi Environmental Centre in 2007 to support environmental education.
Materials
Glen primarily worked in bronze, often beginning his process with detailed models in oil clay before casting.
Style & Subject
His sculpture is rooted in close observation of life, with a strong emphasis on capturing the true essence, movement, and anatomy of animals. He is particularly associated with African wildlife, though his work also includes human subjects. His approach reflects the influence of the European animalier tradition, combined with firsthand experience of animals in their natural environment.
Awards & Exhibition
Glen’s work is held in numerous prestigious collections, including those of Queen Elizabeth II, Jomo Kenyatta, Aga Khan IV, and James Stewart.
He and Sue Stolberger were awarded the Simon Combes Conservation Award by the African Conservation Foundation.
One of his most famous works, Mustangs of Las Colinas, located in Irving, Texas, is among the largest equestrian sculptures in the world. Depicting nine mustangs galloping through water at one-and-a-half times life size, the piece took over eight years to complete and was cast in the United Kingdom before installation in the United States. In 2012, it was voted one of the world’s most loved sculptures.
Robert Glen sculptures are available form the sculpture park.
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Animals and Birds £960 inc VATTabletop Bronze Bird Sculpture – Flight of Pelicans by Robert Glen (Edition of 6)
Flight of Pelicans by Robert Glen, Bronze, Marble