King Nyani (Bruce Museum)

A bronze gorilla 23 feet long now reclines beside the entrance of a Connecticut museum, with an open hand that visitors are invited to sit in. King Nyani (nyani is Swahili for gorilla) was made in 2021 by the husband-and-wife artists Gillie and Marc Schattner and arrived at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich on a flatbed truck on Earth Day, 22 April 2024. Hyperallergic reported it as 23 feet long, 8.5 feet tall and 5,000 pounds. Museum officials call it the world's largest bronze gorilla sculpture; Hyperallergic said it had not been able to find one taller or longer.

The artists say they were inspired by the kindness and protective nature of a mountain gorilla silverback they saw in the wild, and they intend the work to raise awareness of the conservation problems gorillas face. The museum contrasts it with King Kong and other apes cast as villains, describing King Nyani as a gentle giant that reaches out to invite connection. A report on the installation said the open palm is designed to hold one or two people, and a nearby sign asks visitors to keep photos to the gorilla's hand, although Hyperallergic noted that children also climb on its back.