“Prometheus’ gift of fire brought civilization to mortals.  Many artists and sculptors have interpreted Prometheus’ famous flight to earth.  One of my favorites is the dazzling 18-foot-long, 8-ton gold statue of Prometheus in NY Rockefeller Center.  This, however, is MY interpretation.”

“My goal is to show as much movement as possible.  The dramatic flow of Prometheus’ hair and the parallel flow of the gold flames of the Olympic torch further create the illusion that Prometheus is SOARING through the air.  To further the illusion of weightlessness, his body is totally airborne except for the tip of his right toe, which just touches a gold cloud.  

“I was again influenced by Auguste Rodin.  The depiction of Prometheus’ body and muscles, the surface modeling, and the final rich black patination, reflect Rodin.  I am told that the sculpture is very Rodinesque, which pleases me.”

“Prometheus is cast in Bronze, with the same classic rich black patination used by Rodin.  His right toe touches a gold cluster of clouds, first cast in Brass and then highly polished.  The gold flames of the Olympic Torch are cast in Brass, then highly polished.  The base is polished stainless steel to reflect the sculpture like a mirror.”

“I hope you enjoy this sculpture half as much as I enjoyed creating it.”

Sincerely yours,

Richard L. Minns

At age 84 (August 17, 2013), Richard could be considered at the top of his game.  His hand is still steady as a rock.  His eyes are still keen.  His energy is still endless.  The lifetime he spent in Sports and Bodybuilding before he became a sculptor has given him a unique understanding of anatomy and the spectacle of muscles in motion, which make him one of the truly outstanding figurative neo-classical sculptors today.

By combining the Old World with the New, and combining mixed media (stainless steel, brass, aluminum, copper and 24K Gold) with Classic Bronze, Richard’s creations are now on the leading Contemporary Sculpture lists.

The following statement by Richard’s lifelong friend and colleague, the sculptor Leon Bronstein, which was made over a decade ago, still rings true more than ever.

“Richard Minns was born to be a sculptor.  He has created his own sculptural language: realistic and physical, with anatomical perfection, highly charged with emotion and movement, conveying sexuality in the way of Michelangelo, Rodin and Bourdelle.”

This statement is manifest in Richard’s interpretation of the Greek Titan PROMETHEUS.  Every inch of PROMETHEUS, from head to toe, conveys the total spectrum of human emotion.  PROMETHEUS literally comes alive with anatomical perfection, compelling emotion and maximum movement.

PROMETHEUS is not simply airborne.  PROMETHEUS is SOARING through the air over the golden clouds as he flees Mt. Olympus, bringing fire to mankind.

This sculpture is the closest of all Richard’s sculptures to that of Auguste Rodin.  His treatment of PROMETHEUS’ rippling muscles, his surface modeling, his use of Rodin’s trademark deep rich black patination, all reflect Rodin.

The modeling of PROMETHEUS’ flowing hair and the same modeling of the flowing flames of the first Olympic Torch interlocks the torch and PROMETHEUS as ONE.

Richard consulted with an Engineer so that the center of balance of the sculpture is such that only the tip of PROMETHEUS’ left toe on the tip of the golden cloud is enough to hold the airborne sculpture secure.

Although the golden flames of the Torch are cast in highly polished Brass, a second Limited Edition of 5 will offer the flames in 24-K Gold plate.  For a price, of course. 

Prometheus is cast in Bronze, with the same classic rich black patination used by Rodin.  His right toe touches a gold cluster of clouds, first cast in Brass and then highly polished.  The gold flames of the Olympic Torch are cast in Brass, then highly polished.  The base is polished stainless steel to reflect the sculpture like a mirror.