Lola (White)

1999
Bronze
110 × 100 × 30 cm
Signed Burns

Provenance

First exhibited as a painted wax and plaster wall sculpture in Towards the Baroque, Annandale Galleries, Sydney, 16 March to 10 April 1999.

Following the exhibition, the sculptures were cast in bronze in Sydney.

Exhibited at Floriade, Canberra, September 2000.

Stolen from the artist’s gallery in Canberra in 2004 and subsequently recovered following a public appeal after being recognised in the front garden of the person responsible.

Sold through Donnelly’s Auctioneers, Perth, 2025.

Private Collection.

Description

Lola (White) is one of four monumental bronze sculptures in the Lola series. Standing 110 cm high, it balances on one of its taller petals, creating a graceful vertical form. Originally finished with a white patina, the sculpture has mellowed naturally over time, developing warmer bronze tones while retaining the luminous quality that distinguished it from the other works in the series.

The series grew from my fascination with tulips after visiting the Chelsea Flower Show in London in the early 1990s. After planting tulips in my London garden, I discovered that once cut they continued to change dramatically over many days, twisting towards the light and developing individual personalities. These constantly changing forms became the inspiration for a body of work that has continued for more than three decades.

The title Lola comes from the Kinks’ song of the same name. While studying the flower, I became fascinated by the relationship between the central stamen and the surrounding petals. The tulip suggested ideas of identity, female friendship and the coexistence of masculine and feminine characteristics within a single natural form. Although these ideas informed the series from the outset, they were rarely discussed publicly when the sculptures were first exhibited.

Unlike the other bronzes in the series, Lola (White) has become known for its remarkable history. In 2004 it was stolen from my Canberra gallery but was later recovered after a member of the public recognised the sculpture and alerted police. This unusual episode forms part of the documented history of the work.

Exhibition History

1999 — Towards the Baroque, Annandale Galleries, Sydney.

September 2000 — Floriade, Canberra.

2004 — Stephanie Burns Fine Art, Deakin ACT.

2007-2012 — Orion Sculpture Park, Yass NSW.

Collections

Private collection.

Bibliography

Towards the Baroque. Exhibition catalogue. Annandale Galleries, Sydney, 1999.

Bruce James, “Toto, I’ve a Feeling We’re Not on Canvas Any More,” The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 April 1999.

Cassie Proudfoot, A Sculptor Succumbs to Tulip Mania, Canberra Times, September 2000.

With the Arts Relax, Canberra Times, 24 September 2000.

Helen Musa, article on the theft and recovery of Lola (White), Canberra Times, 2004.

Donnelly’s Auctioneers, Perth. Auction catalogue listing for Lola (White).

© Stephanie Fuller (Burns)