Harumi Klossowska de Rola is a sculptor who makes bronze sculptures inspired by the flora and fauna of the natural world. Her works, cast in bronze and often hand-finished with details of precious metals, these works are also infused with references to the deities of ancient and contemporary cultures, for whom animals and nature offer an earthly connection to the divine.

The small, sleeping owl Athene Noctua demonstrates the artist's virtuosity in capturing the beauty and complexity of wild creatures through her mastery of the sculptural medium. This owl depicts a species which is common across Europe, and which the artist may have encountered first hand in the forests that surround her home and studio in the Swiss Alps. With a simplified form, Klossowska achieves a distillation of the essence of the animal, caught in a moment of rest, bracing against the elements.

The athene noctua species is more commonly known as the little owl, or the owl of Athena or Minerva, commemorating the Greek and Roman goddesses of Wisdom, which were also associated with the night, reflecting the nocturnal habits of this creature. In her practice, the artist often alludes to ancient religions, finding inspiration in the great traditions of associations between the animal kingdom and the divine. The present work demonstrates the connections between animals and sacredness that continues into the present day.