Artist:
J. Clayton Bright
(American, b. 1946)
Miss Gratz
Medium: Bronze
Date: 1984
Dimensions:
33 × 82 1/2 × 46 1/2 in. (83.8 × 209.6 × 118.1 cm)
Accession number: 84.15
Label Copy:
Born in Philadelphia, J. Clayton Bright began sculpting in the late 1970s. With the guidance of sculptor Eric Parks, he learned the process of cast sculpture using the lost wax technique. In 1984, the artist was commissioned by Mrs. Miles Valentine, a major patron of the museum, to create a sculpture for the collection. Bright has made a number of life-size sculptures using specific animals, and he modeled Miss Gratz on a local Jersey cow of the same name.
Curatorial RemarksThe cow was incorrectly referred to as a Holstein. It is a Jersey. The two breeds are very different physically and temperamentally.