“Pure joy” is what David Wynne sought to express. That’s what you see in Girl with a Dolphin. Unveiled in 1973, this fountain features a nude girl. She cavorts with a cetacean. Tower Bridge looms nearby.
Girl with a Dolphin has stood here for fifty years. It has become one of London’s most recognized sculptures. It sits in the middle of a fountain. The sculpture shows a girl dancing with a dolphin.
The girl reaches down. She seems suspended in water. Her hair floats above her. The dolphin swims up toward her. The bronze captures their dance.
David Wynne was the sculptor. He died in 2014. He was 88. Wynne focused much of his work on animals. To create Girl with a Dolphin, Wynne swam with dolphins. He studied them for hours. He embraced a practical approach.
Wynne sought to celebrate the animal. He wasn’t trying to make something new. He felt truth must be stated with each generation. His other works include Guy the Gorilla. It stands in Crystal Palace Park. Boy With A Dolphin is perhaps his most famous.
Another dolphin statue stands on Cheyne Walk in Chelsea. It was made in 1974. The themes are similar. It shows a boy playing with a dolphin. The boy holds onto its fin. He is pulled through imaginary water. Wynne’s son Roly modeled for that statue.
Roly tragically died in 1999. Wynne dedicated the statue to his son. Both statues use double cantilevers. This holds the weight of the bronze. It seems delicate. This technical feat allowed Wynne to capture movement. He portrayed dance and play.
Virginia Wade was the model for Girl With A Dolphin. She was a famous tennis player. She had won the US and Australian Opens. She would go on to win Wimbledon in 1977.
Wynne sculpted her body. They decided not to use her face. This was for discretion. Wade remembers fascinating conversations with Wynne. They talked about personal relationships. They discussed world events. Wynne introduced the Beatles to the Maharishi.
Today Wade drives past Girl with a Dolphin. She does so with a smile. She is very proud of it. She feels it is gorgeous. It gives her a warm feeling.
Edward Wynne is David Wynne’s son. He observes the woman swims down. The dolphin swims up. They meet in a vortex. They have a mind-to-mind connection. This connection is Wynne’s greatest theme. He portrays the wild and civilized worlds meeting. Girl with a Dolphin celebrates this. It marks its 50th birthday today.
Take twenty minutes. Pay Girl with a Dolphin a visit. Admire the athletic limbs of a Wimbledon winner. Admire Wynne’s portrait. See a human and animal meeting as equals. The result is pure joy.