Republic, Missouri - Lanning Sculpture Garden

So glad we stopped here on our way to St. Louis. I started taking photographs and Ralph Doss Lanning came out to greet me. A very friendly artist, he took me around the garden and showed me around. His wife Gretchen just passed away last year. The older sculptures are a little rough around the edges and could use a coat of paint (as he remarked) but his work is amazing. Interspersed are his stonecarved work and it's a wonder to behold. A large Moses is a work of art and a Lady Godiva with nearby Peeping Tom.

While many of the works have biblical themes it'd be oversimplifying to call him a Biblical artist. Some works are from Greek, Roman and even Norse mythology. Then there are the pieces he's made to local landmarks or those based on mountain folklore. The two headed monster is a great example of that.

Lanning told us that seeing as he's in his 90s, he's a bit worried about what will become of his garden once he dies. He and Gretchen didn't have any children so there are no heirs, and while many museums are interested in his works he would like them to remain together as a whole. Sad to see it all be pulled apart.

We almost didn't stop here as it was off the interstate and on the parallel State Highway, but I'm so glad we did. It was a tremendous pleasure to visit here. [Wondermachine, 01/18/2009]

An odd sculpture park on the side of the road. It's free!

I’ve just heard that the land the Lanning Garden in Republic is on has been zoned commercial property and will probably be a gas station or something some time in the future. [Tom Maness, 04/21/2008]

[RA: We visited in the early 1990s -- good to see Lanning Garden has survived. Various Christian and homey sculptures, built by the Lannings, Ralph and Gretchen, are sprinkled around 8 1/2 acres: "The Christmas Ring," "The Crucifixion," kids playing, angels praying, a mermaid, a tiny church, an eagle on a sphere of bands, a two-headed monster, a big pair of praying hands. "If heaven is half as beautiful as here on earth, I don't want to miss it," reads one inscription.]