Sculpture "Early Forms" (1993)
Sculpture "Early Forms" (1993)
Quick info
unique piece | certificate | plaster | size 33 x 45 x 42 cm (h x w x d)
Detailed description
Sculpture "Early Forms" (1993)
This plaster sculpture from 1993 is part of the "Early Forms" series. Cragg used the curved lines and bodies of amphorae, test tubes and bottles, which are still partially recognisable, and turned them into animal-like or at least organic-looking structures reminiscent of shells.
Sculpture made of plaster, 1993. With a photo confirmation of the artist, exhibited on 17.03.1994. Height: 33 cm, width: 45 cm, depth: 42 cm.
About Tony Cragg
The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung called him "one of the most important sculptors of our time".
Sometimes massive, sometimes fragile and light, Cragg creates forms and figurations that not only stand-alone but also directly incorporate the space around them. His works can be seen in public spaces and important international museums such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Tate Gallery in London.
Tony Cragg is an admirer of materials: "Material is everything we know - everything that is in a space, even things like emotions and intelligence have a material basis. So, if thoughts and feelings also have a material basis, then you can guess how sublime the material is," the artist said in an interview.
Whether wood, stone, stainless steel, fibreglass, bronze, plastics, Styrofoam or Kevlar - Cragg breathes soul into the materials when he creates sculptures whose unknown, amorphous forms fascinate and at the same time and raise questions. He is only inspired by his thoughts: "My original interest in making images and objects was, and still is, creating things that do not exist in nature or our functional world. Objects that reflect and express my feelings towards the world and my existence".
Cragg's sculpture park in Wuppertal, Germany, where he exhibits both his works and objects by fellow sculptors, is also dedicated to the diversity of forms: "We don't want to create fancy shows, conceptual stuff, a decorative showroom, but a place for people who have an interest in sculpture, who are seriously interested in forms and their meaning."
Tony Cragg, born in 1949 in Liverpool, first worked as a biochemist in a research laboratory and later studied art at various British universities. He worked as a professor in Metz, Berlin and Düsseldorf, where he was also the rector of the local art academy. Cragg is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, London and the Akademie der Künste, Berlin, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and is a recipient of the 1st Class Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition to the Turner Prize, he also received the Praemium Imperiale.
Tony Cragg has lived and worked in Wuppertal since 1977.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures from wood, ivory or stone are made directly from the block of material, in bronze casting a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.