Sir Eduardo Paolozzi was the eldest son of an Italian 'ice cream' family in Scotland.
He was sent to Fascist summer camps in Mussolini-era Italy as a boy and was interned by the British government
when Italy became involved in World War II, an experience which had a lasting impact .
He went on to study at University College's Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1944 to 1947.
He trained at various schools during the 1940s before visiting Paris.
Moving to Paris, he came into contact with many prominent Surrealists and Cubists, including Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, and Jean Arp.
Returning to London in 1949, he became friends with Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon while teaching at the Central School of Art and Design.
He was a lifelong friend of George Melly and JG Ballard.
In 1952, he became a founder member of the Independent Group
and made important contributions to the theory and practice of the Pop Art movement in Britain.
The machine-part ruins of industrial manufacturing are recast in physical and graphic forms to document the shift,
during the 1960s, towards consumer society and post-modernism.
Paolozzi made several very significant pieces of public art. His sculpture of Sir Isaac Newton (after William Blake) is in the courtyard of the British Library.
His mosaic murals from London Underground’s Tottenham Court Road station have been saved…
-as part of the redevelopment of the underground station, the mosaic murals were cut out
and removed temporarily for safekeeping
Here they are back in situ hurrah!
Paolozzi produced large-scale figurative sculptures, prints, and collages made from magazines and other found objects.
“I like to make use of everything. I can't bear to throw things away—a nice wine bottle, a nice box,” he once said.
“Sometimes I feel like a wizard in Toytown, transforming a bunch of carrots into pomegranates.
Sir Eduardo was a member of the RA and was knighted in 1988.
Works are held in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh,
scarce enamelled pin badge produced for RA 1984 p.o.a.
retrospective exhibition at The Whitechapel Art Gallery until May 2017
1971 original Tate catalogue with rare bookmark available from Rennies £60
rare Eduardo Paolozzi limited edition black basalt and silver screenprinted plate produced by Wedgwood for National Art Collections Fund,
limited to 500, 1990s
in original box with certificate
c.31cms. diam.
£400
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