Massive statue at Butler

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Butler Institute of American Art has acquired a monumental sculpture by American artist Audrey Flack for its permanent collection.

The 10-foot-high plaster sculpture, with a 3-foot base, is an homage to Queen Catherine of Braganza, and is part of a series of sculptures by Flack based on that theme. The plaster work was a prototype for a 13-foot bronze sculpture — a commission awarded to the artist by Lisbon, Portugal.

It will be on permanent display in the Butler’s Novak Gallery, on the main floor of the museum at 524 Wick Ave.

An unusual element of Flack’s sculpture is an LED lighted globe that the statue holds in her left hand.

The subject of Queen Catherine has been used several times by Flack, who was born in 1931. Flack portrays the queen between 20 and 35 years old in the hope that the sculpture will attract the admiration of young people; the work shows the subject as strong, intelligent, beautiful and compassionate.

Queen Catherine was born into the House of Braganza, the most senior noble house in Portugal. The Portuguese princess became Queen of England when she married King Charles II in 1662. The borough of Queens, N.Y., was named after her.