Bronze
Conceived and cast at Morris Singer Foundry in an edition of 9 in 1980
10 3/8 x 14 3/8 x 9 1/2 in, 26.5 x 36.5 x 24.2 cm
Male: 10 x 7 2/8 x 9 1/2 in, 25.5 x 18.3 x 24.2 cm
Female: 10 3/8 x 7 1/8 x 8 7/8 in, 26.5 x 18.1 x 22.6 cm
Male figure: Stamped with signature and numbered 'C 793 7/9'; numbered and stamped with foundry mark on underside '793 Morris Singer Founders London'
Female figure: Stamped with signature and numbered 'C 793 7/9'
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Lynn Chadwick is one of the most important and respected sculptors that came to prominence in post-war Britain. Having exhibited alongside Henry Moore, Reg Butler and other young sculptors at...
Lynn Chadwick is one of the most important and respected sculptors that came to prominence in post-war Britain. Having exhibited alongside Henry Moore, Reg Butler and other young sculptors at the pivotal New Aspects of British Sculpture exhibition in 1952, Chadwick went on to fully establish his reputation when he won the International Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale in 1956 – ahead of Giacometti – becoming the youngest sculptor ever to receive the award.
From 1956 Chadwick moved from welding pieces together to casting them in bronze, making durable works that gave a more standardised iconography. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that Chadwick fully developed the visual language that makes his works so instantly recognisable today. Walking Cloaked Figures VI is synonymous with Chadwick’s mature style, with the male figure having a rectangular head and the female a triangular.
The image of a walking cloaked couple caught the imagination of Chadwick and recurs throughout his oeuvre. Movement, either implied or actual, is a fascinating and dynamic element in his work. The power of Walking Cloaked Figures VI comes alive with the rigid yet billowing capes, and strong angular strides of the legs. The taut curves of the figures give the same drama as his larger scale pieces, without overwhelming their abstract bodies.
Chadwick rejected the smooth, direct-carved forms of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore to create a rougher textured skin. Using phosphoric acid Chadwick could control the tactile finish of his cast bronze sculptures and separate himself from what he considered to be the greasy shine of green and black patinas. Walking Cloaked Figures VI was cast in the Morris Singer Founders, London which has a renowned reputation, having cast the works of Eduardo Paolozzi, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth among many others.
Lynn Chadwick's work can be found in the collections of major international museums including the Tate, London; National Museum of Wales; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; Musee Nationale d'Art Moderne, Paris; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; Galleria Nazionale d-Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome; Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC. He was awarded a CBE in 1964 and made a Royal Academician in 2001.