Polar Dance Legacy Reserve
Legacy Reserve Collection
Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Edition of 20
Item Number 1710LR
Enchanting and whimsical, this portrait of two wild polar bears appearing to waltz in the Arctic is another Thomas D. Mangelsen photograph that stays with the viewer and invites ongoing re-inspection.
“In November, 1989, Fred Bruemmer, friend, mentor, arctic explorer and one of Canada’s greatest treasures and I photographed two large polar bears ‘play fighting’ along the West coast of Hudson Bay. It was grey with a bitter north wind and blowing snow. ‘Our kind of day’ said Fred, as we watched and photographed the two giant bears, agile and graceful dancers, appearing and then disappearing in the near white out conditions. Several of our fellow travelers and photographer friends had decided it was too nasty, the light and visibility too poor to venture out, and stayed in camp. Afterwards, when the bears lay down to cool off, Fred looked at me and only smiled, knowing we had seen and photographed something special. Fred was a gentle, quiet and humble soul.”
“Polar Dance became my favorite and one of the most loved photographs I have ever made. A few years ago, the International League of Conservation Photographers recognized it as One of the 40 Most Important Nature Photographs of All Time. More importantly to me, it became the cover of our book, Polar Dance: Born of the North Wind. Fred wrote the text and I did the photographs. It became only one in many of the 27 books and more than 1,000 articles Fred would write over his lifetime.”
Critics have described this timeless Mangelsen as being a painter-like study of light and color harmony. Polar Dance is one of the photographer’s most resonant images ever. By owning an edition from the rare Legacy Reserve Collection you will possess one of the most compelling natural history portraits of our time.
“In November, 1989, Fred Bruemmer, friend, mentor, arctic explorer and one of Canada’s greatest treasures and I photographed two large polar bears ‘play fighting’ along the West coast of Hudson Bay. It was grey with a bitter north wind and blowing snow. ‘Our kind of day’ said Fred, as we watched and photographed the two giant bears, agile and graceful dancers, appearing and then disappearing in the near white out conditions. Several of our fellow travelers and photographer friends had decided it was too nasty, the light and visibility too poor to venture out, and stayed in camp. Afterwards, when the bears lay down to cool off, Fred looked at me and only smiled, knowing we had seen and photographed something special. Fred was a gentle, quiet and humble soul.”
“Polar Dance became my favorite and one of the most loved photographs I have ever made. A few years ago, the International League of Conservation Photographers recognized it as One of the 40 Most Important Nature Photographs of All Time. More importantly to me, it became the cover of our book, Polar Dance: Born of the North Wind. Fred wrote the text and I did the photographs. It became only one in many of the 27 books and more than 1,000 articles Fred would write over his lifetime.”
Critics have described this timeless Mangelsen as being a painter-like study of light and color harmony. Polar Dance is one of the photographer’s most resonant images ever. By owning an edition from the rare Legacy Reserve Collection you will possess one of the most compelling natural history portraits of our time.
In 1974 when Mangelsen created his very first limited edition photograph, he made the decision to hold back his most cherished prints, numbered 1 through 20, so that one day as a career capstone they would be offered as part of a Legacy Reserve Collection.
Collectors now have the unique opportunity to own one of the twenty numbers from his personal artist reserve. These masterworks represent the “best of the best” of Mangelsen’s prestigious fine art photographs.
Read more about the Legacy Reserve Collection