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 alert and beguiling owl Lakshmi demonstrates the artist's virtuosity in capturing the beauty and complexity of wild creatures through her mastery of the sculptural medium. With a simplified form, Klossowska achieves a distillation of the essence of the animal, its lively and observant character evoked in its stance, head turned to attention.

This artwork takes its name from the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who is associated with the wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity. In Hindu iconography, she is often depicted with an owl, providing the inspiration for the artist for this artwork. The inherent respect of the sacredness of animals and the animal form that is part of the Hindu faith aligns with the artist's belief in the spirituality of the animal kingdom. Works such as Lakshmi pay homage to the animal spirit that resides in us all; the owl's steady gaze seems to reach beyond the known world into a greater depth beyond, perhaps towards the realm of the divine.