Et skumpelskud. Sammenkrøben abe 1908

Niels Nielsen made this bronze sculpture of a huddled monkey, who looks a little sad, maybe even a little human. I try to imagine Nielsen in his studio, coaxing this form into being. He’s not looking at an actual monkey, but working from an idea of what a monkey feels like, maybe? There’s something about the slumped posture that strikes me as a feeling. And the finish, the patina of the bronze, is so tactile, it makes you want to reach out and touch it, to offer comfort. But then, what do I know? Nielsen was working in a tradition of animal sculpture, making these critters embody human traits—humor, melancholy. It’s a long conversation across art history and different mediums. Think of those medieval stone carvings, or Picasso’s baboon sculpture made from toy cars. Ultimately, this little bronze monkey is what it is, a form that embodies a thought, a feeling, a gesture. It’s there for us to read, to interpret, and to add to the conversation.