Andrea Spadini (1912-1983) Fountain in the form of a dancing elephant

signed, bronze, hollow cast

Acquired directly from the artist

Signs of exposure to the elements. Verdigris. Great fun. Will require fixing to a concrete bed.
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This bronze sculpture is a unique version of the elephant with an accordion that is part of the Delacorte Musical Clock in Central Park, New York City. Both works were cast from the same mold, which was subsequently destroyed.

The Delacorte Musical Clock

The clock, which is also included in the Smithsonian’s inventory, was a gift of the publisher and philanthropist George T. Delacorte (1894-1991) and dedicated in 1965. Delacorte was one of Central Park’s most generous benefactors as his donations ensured many of the park’s landmarks to be realized; the Delacorte Theater, the Alice in Wonderland statue, the fountains in Bowling Green Park and Columbus Circle were all financed by Delacorte. The Delacorte clock is located on top of a brick archway between the main Central Park Children's Zoo quadrangle and the Wildlife Center (previously the Monkey House). This brick archway itself was conceived by designer Fernando Texidor and architect Edward Coe Embury, who was the son of the Zoo’s original designer Aymar Embury II. Andrea Spadini created the animals that comprise the whimsical carousel that surrounds the clock: a penguin, kangaroo, bear, elephant, goat, and hippopotamus parading with a variety of musical instruments as well as two monkeys with mallets that strike the bell. Even today, the clock plays one of thirty-two children's nursery rhymes on the hour between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, during which each animal can spin on its own axis as well as rotate on a track around the clock. The clock was restored in 1995 by the Central Park Conservancy using funds secured by an endowment established by the Delacorte family in 1993.

Andrea Spadini (1912-1983)

Andrea Spadini was born in Rome in 1912. As a child, he spent much time with his father Armando, a painter, visiting the Galleria Borghese, where he was particularly drawn to the works of Gianlorenzo Bernini.  In 1925 Spadini traveled first to Florence to spend four years studying under Libero Andreotti and later went to Monza to attend the classes of Arturo Martini at the Istituto d’Arte di Monza. At the young age of 17 he exhibited at the Circolo di Roma in the Palazzo Doria in Rome along with fellow artists Bandinelli, Ceracchini, di Cocco, Mafai and Scipione. After this exhibition he remained in Rome to further attend school and to take part in other shows. His works, mostly portraits, from this period exhibit a strong influence of his contemporaries Mafai and Scipione. In 1940 he was commissioned to create the altarpiece “The Baptism of Christ” at the Basilica Ss. Pietro e Paolo in the EUR district of Rome that was to be constructed in occasion of the 1942 World Fair, which was eventually canceled due to Italy’s involvement in World War 2. During the war Spadini was member of GAP, the Italian resistance movement. Towards the end of the war he collaborated with Fabrizio Clerici to experiment with other media, such as ceramics. After the war he was represented by gallerists Irene Brin and Gaspero del Corso, who marketed his works to American collectors and institutions. It was through this collaboration that he was commissioned to work on the Delacorte Clock in Central Park in 1965. 
Friends with Spadini, Mrs. Braga commissioned the identical piece at the same time that the original was made for the Zoo. It is the only other casting of the sculpture that was made before the artist intentionally broke the molds.