Enter Forest Park from
Hampton Avenue. You can't miss it. It's 130 feet long, 36 feet high and 100
tons of Cor-Ten steel. Animals Always is the largest sculpture
at any public zoo in the United States. The sculpture features over 60 animals
peeking out from behind sculpted trees, ferns and other plant life. The
sculptor, Albert Paley, conceived the idea of this steel menagerie more than two
years when he met St. Louisan Thelma Zalk, who wanted to bring the idea to
fruition at the Saint Louis Zoo. Paley worked closely with Zoo staff to
represent animals that are featured at the Saint Louis Zoo. Many of the
animals, fish and plant life depicted are also endangered to inspire future
generations to protect our natural world. (The artwork/installation was completed in 2006.)
This is the first representational and most complex work for Albert Paley who has completed more than 50 works for both public and private institutions over his 30 year career. Other Paley pieces can be found in the permanent collections of major museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
