Sir Eduardo Paolozzi CBE RA (1924-2005)
Standing Figure on Plaque

Plaster of Paris
8 x 6 x 3 cm

Paolozzi’s fascination with anatomy, machine parts, and the idiom of classical statuary is evident in his modernist sculptural forms. ‘Standing Figure on Plaque’ suggests the remnants of an ancient civilisation, with its simple lines and evocative forms harking back to a time gone by. The relief of this sculpture creates a unique sense of depth, drawing the viewer into the sculpture, encouraging them to observe the details and charm of this striking piece.

Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi CBE RA was a Scottish artist, known for his sculpture and graphic works. He is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of pop art.

Paolozzi studied at the Edinburgh College of Art in 1943, briefly at Saint Martin’s School of Art in 1944, and then at the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London from 1944 to 1947, after which he worked in Paris. While in Paris from 1947 to 1949, Paolozzi became acquainted with Alberto Giacometti, Jean Arp, Constantin Brâncuși, Georges Braque and Fernand Léger. This period became an important influence for his later work. For example, the influence of Giacometti and many of the original Surrealists he met in Paris can be felt in the group of lost-wax sculptures made by Paolozzi in the mid-1950s. Their surfaces, studded with found objects and machine parts, were to gain him recognition.

He taught sculpture and ceramics at several institutions, including the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (1960–62), University of California, Berkeley (in 1968) and at the Royal College of Art. Paolozzi had a long association with Germany, having worked in Berlin from 1974 as part of the Berlin Artist Programme of the German Academic Exchange Programme. He was a professor at the Fachhochschule in Cologne from 1977 to 1981, and later taught sculpture at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Munich. Paolozzi was fond of Munich and many of his works and concept plans were developed in a studio he kept there, including the mosaics of the Tottenham Court Road Station in London. He took a stab at industrial design in the 1970s with a 500-piece run of the upscale Suomi tableware by Timo Sarpaneva that Paolozzi decorated for the German Rosenthal porcelain maker’s Studio Linie.

Condition: Generally very good, occasional inclusions etc., as expected.

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