Bound Goat Thursday (Jack Zajac)

Bound Goat Thursday, made in 1962, is a bronze sculpture by the artist Jack Zajac. Zajac was born in 1929 and studied art at Scripps College from 1949 to 1953 with Millard Sheets. Zajac was admitted as a special, non-degree seeking student due to Scripps’ status as a women’s college. In 1954, Zajac received the Rome Prize, allowing him to work and study in Rome. It was during this period that he began sculpting, and developed his theme of sacrificial animals. These included goats and lambs either slumped over stakes or tightly bound. These forms explored themes of rebirth and sacrifice, which would continue to appear in his work throughout the years.