If landscape such as that at Anza-Borrego desert doesn’t grab you and you find it difficult to see beauty in a desert environment, then a visit here may not be appropriate. But what if the same place had a bunch of huge quirky sculptures located in its midst?
As we drove through the desert during our stay, we caught glimpses of many rust-colored sculptures dotting the landscape. I was curious about them, so I got a map from the visitor center, grabbed my camera and headed out to inspect the collection up close and personal. It took me a couple of visits to see them all, with so many spread out in the desert outside of town.
It was in 2008 that the late Dennis Avery, heir to the Avery Dennison label fortune, commissioned metal sculptor Ricardo Breceda to build free-standing metal sculptures for his massive property in Borrego Springs. Mr Avery purchased many acres in the valley to keep it from ever being developed, calling his land Galleta Meadows Estate. Since then these quirky sculptures have been installed throughout the property.
The sculptor had a vast palette to work with, and there are more than 130 metal sculptures scattered over three non-contiguous square miles of Borrego Valley. Much of the theme centers on prehistoric animals that once roamed the valley. The fossils of these animals have been found nearby in some of the most extensive and well-preserved paleontology sites in North America. So most of these creatures really did live here at one time.
The sculptor/artist brings life to his sculptures by capturing each subject in motion:
Over time the theme has evolved and now includes galloping and fighting horses, mythical birds with prey, giant insects and a celebration of the history and culture of the desert environment.
But the biggest of them all is the mythological dragon. It’s huge, rising about 15′ out of the ground and stretching 350′ long with the tail of a rattlesnake. It appears to undulate through the ground as it passes under an adjacent road:
The menagerie of quirky life-like sculptures is the pride and joy of Borrego Springs, thanks to its benefactor. These are just a few of the pictures I took, and there are many more sculptures to check out here. Viewing and touching them are free, and it’s the only way to appreciate the intricacies, details and the creative imagination of the sculptor.
Spring would be perfect for a visit, so the blooming of the wildflowers could be enjoyed at the same time!
Lowes Travels 
We are looking forward to seeing this, MonaLiza!
Great stuff! We love BS. Spent many happy days there. Thanks for sharing.
I really must get over there. Love the way you photographed some of these sculptures. Nice job!
I don’t mind revisiting with you, then our photos will have models.
Seeing the sculptures year after year never gets old. The small details are amazing. My favorite is the Vineyard. Beautiful photo of the dragon.
You did a great job of photographing the enormous sculptures! We always enjoy searching them out when we’re in Anza Borrego—we’ve never seen the Vineyard, but we’ll look for that next time. And the serpent, of course, is amazing. Did you see the sculpture of the two bighorn sheep perched on a hill? It’s especially wonderful at sunset.
Yes I took a picture of the two bighorn sheep and I just added them 🙂
Okay, now your collection is complete! :-)) Excellent work!
I’ve seen these sculptures before, but I’ve never seen them photographed this well. I’m sure it’s difficult in the bright light of the desert and everything. Really nice!
Laura, if you do visit, you will have a great time and I know you too will take great photos and a funny captions too.
This sounds like just the perfect spring to be there. I love the sculptures and your pictures are terrific. The one with you refereeing the fight really shows their size. Great post!
Yes, I would say spring time is one of the best time to see not only the wildflowers but also explore this huge state park.
Can’t wait to see the statues in person.
You will have fun especially if you try to get the best angle to take from these giant sculptures
Wow! I love these sculptures. Another place added to my must see list! Thanks for all the photos, ML.
Oh yes, Borrego Springs and the Anza Borrego desert is a great place to visit especially spring time for the wildflowers.
One of these days we’ll get to see those amazing sculptures! I’ve been saying this for years. Something always gets in the way. Twice a year we go past that area. One day.
ABDSP is really a great place to explore, the sculptures are just icings to the cake.
Those are the best among all the many pictures of those sculptures I’ve seen!
Thank you, I had fun taking lots of photos to get the best angle.
Weee! I’d definitely go back to BS for the sculptures. They are so cool! Those darn things are hard to photograph, 🙂 and you did so well.