This statue is situated at the entrance of Abbey House Gardens and is the work of Ian Rank-Broadley, the same sculptor that produced the statues in a previous PhotoHunt post. I must admit I had not heard of him until I saw the sculptures at Abbey House Gardens, but it seems I should have done:
Ian Rank-Broadley is one of the foremost sculptors working today. His effigy of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II appears on all UK and Commonwealth coinage since 1998. He has recently completed work on one of the most important war memorials since WWII, the Armed Forces Memorial.
On his website Ian explains why he chose the male nude as a dominant motif:
The choice of the male figure/ nude as a dominant motif was made quite early when I realised that the female nude had, to a large extent, been robbed of its power by the commercial world of advertising, whereas the the male nude still retained a power that could excite, grab attention and shock. The reaction of the spectator to the male figure was stronger, whether out of competition, fear or embarrassment. It proved to be a potent image. For me, the sculptor, this fact reinforced the work with a greater resonance and meaning.
For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out tnchick.
Fantastic statue and great shots for the theme!!
Happy PH!
Thank You
I am only just catching up with my comments now 
Wow, what a cool sculpture. Love your photos of it. Perfect for this theme!
So glad you like it
I bet the models had fun posing for these statues!
I can imagine they must have, it would have been difficult to keep the pose for long I should think
That’s a wonderful statue Cherie. I love it!
I had a feeling you would like it. I think you would love the garden and the statue if ever you get a chance to visit Malmesbury.
Those are fantastic statues and perfect for the upside down theme. Happy photohunting!
Glad you like them
that is a fabulous sculpture. so interesting, never seen one quite like it.
It really is quite fascinating and lifelike close up.
Fantastic take on the theme. Glad you put up — no pun intended! — the information about Ian Rank-Broadley. His comments about his reason for choosing to depict male nudes really “made” the post for me.
I found that really interesting too. I had to look up about the photos after I got home as there was nothing to explain them at the gardens.
A really interesting statue in my opinion and perfect for this theme. Thanks for the information as well. Happy weekend to you Cherie.
I am glad you found it so interesting
ǝnʇɐʇs ǝɥʇ ǝʌol ʎllɐǝɹ ı ¡ɔıʇsɐʇuɐɟ
Very clever writing
“Can you hold it like that, fellas…whilst I chip away!”
LOL I bet they had fun posing for that.
the male nude still retained a power that could excite
Not in my particular case, Cherie.
I couldn’t possibly comment!
They are intriquing! Very nicely done.
They are quite fascinating.
this is a great series of photos of a wonderful sculpture. I’m adding this garden to the list of reasons why I have to fly over the Atlantic Ocean again to visit Europe.
You would love the garden
It is in my top 3 favourites 
That’s a beautiful statue! Did you take this photo in person or from a site Cherie?
This man is so talented.
They are my photos
The statue is so life like 
oh my it fits the theme very well
Thank You
A unique statue. Fantastic take on the theme. That would be a great conversation piece to have in one’s backyard
I think I would like to have one on my front lawn. Although I think it would have to be strongly attached to the ground otherwise someone is bound to try and steal it!
great statues and photos too
Glad you found them interesting
What’s the shortest way to the opera?
[... was the caption I gave to a photo Ms J. took of a friend and me 34 years ago. - Ahem, we lacked of being nude, though.]
That photo sounds fascinating
Great artist and great photos. The details, on the large size statues on Flick’r, are admirable. Actually I would think that few men would be so muscular unless they exercise a lot. Interesting but (for me) a bit of maleness show off. Certainly a nice place to visit. Thanks, CherryPie!
I found it quite nice to see male nudes instead of female nudes for a change
The garden is the home of the naked gardeners 