  About the Artwork
  
  
  This sculpture is a small-scale replica of the central figures of Milles's Europa and the Bull fountain in Halmstad, Sweden; erected in 1926, it was the first great fountain Milles designed. Stylistically, the Detroit bronze belongs to Milles's mature period, when he was no longer under the influence of French sculptor Auguste Rodin. The figures are characterized by smooth, simplified, and clearly defined forms. The monumental quality achieved by this approach is countered by the bull's upward thrusting pose and Europa's fluttering drapery, which energizes the grouping. Milles invites us to escape into the world of art and poetry with a modern reworking of the story from Greek mythology of Europa's adventurous ride. A rearranged version of the Europa and the Bull fountain also exists at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
  
  
  Title
  Europa and the Bull
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1926
  
  Artist
  Carl Milles
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1875-1955
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Swedish
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Bronze
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 31 1/2 inches (80 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Sculpture
  
  
  Department
  European Modern Art to 1970
  
  
  Credit
  City of Detroit Purchase
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  29.357.A
  
  
  Copyright
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