Hippo Ballerina by Bjorn Skaarup - Dante Park NYC

Through there is still a chill in the air, and lingering remembrances of winter storm Stella have yet to melt entirely, spring officially arrived this week. In honor of the changing of the seasons, artnet News has rounded up the best public art currently on view or presently opening here in New York. Enjoy!

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17. Bjørn Skaarup, Hippo Ballerina at Dante Park
A classic scene from Disney’s Fantasia, in which tutu-ed hippopotamuses dance the ballet, comes to life, fittingly, outside Lincoln Center. The two-and-a-half-ton bronze statue stands at over 15 feet tall, and is inspired by the iconic Little Dancer statue by Edgar Degas.

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In honor of World Tutu Day (it’s 2/2/2017, get it?) we’re shining a light on the latest ballerina to make it big in New York City: She’s tall and quiet, with a captivating sparkle in her eye. She hangs out near Lincoln Center. She’s a traditionalist and prefers to rehearse in the old-style garb à la Degas-era Paris Opéra. She’s also a hippo.

Wait, what?

A Hippo Ballerina Arrives in Dante Park...

Hippo Ballerina and her friends are coming to New York this February, 2017 to help melt away your February blues!

Usually a slow time for putting up public art, winter this year will see the installation of a whimsical outdoor sculpture on the Upper West Side starting February 7. The creation of Danish artist Bjørn Okholm Skaarup, Hippo Ballerina, as it’s titled, is a 15-foot-high bronze of the titular beast wearing a tutu and a pair of pointe shoes. Inspired by the character Hyacinth Hippo from the Disney film, Fantasia, and modeled on the the Little Dancer Aged Fourteen by Impressionist master Edgar Degas, Hippo Ballerina will occupy Dante Park at the intersection of 64th Street and Broadway just outside Lincoln center. It will be on view through July 31, so expect tons of photos of it on Instagram.