“The Gift”

“In 2005, Gene created The Offering as a maquette for a long-planned monumental bear fountain. He represented the water that he planned to have pouring from the bear’s hands with a coil of bronze spilling out of his hands. The sgraffito drawings represent a stylized Tree of Life pattern that Gene had used in a sculpture previously.

The Gift, sculpted just four months before his death, was Gene’s first and only fountain sculpture. The standing grizzly bear rises above a highly polished, stainless steel basin representing a parched earth with stumps of trees along the rim. The bear pours water from its open palms onto the earth, giving the gift of life.

…This was the final sculpture of Gene’s long career. It is fitting that depicting the gift of life in his final contribution to the art world.”

– Rebecca Tobey – Excerpt from “Partners in Art”

An edition of this fountain resides at the University of New Mexico Cancer Treatment Center in Albuquerque, Rebecca gifted it to the hospital that gave Gene excellent care and where he passed away.