- 154
William Turnbull b.1922
Description
- William Turnbull
- Metamorphic Venus 4
signed with artist’s monogram, numbered 6/6 and dated 82
- bronze with a grey/green patina on the artist's York stone base
- height 56.5cm.; 22 ¼in.
Provenance
The Artist
Waddington Galleries, London, whence acquired by the previous owner
Exhibited
London, Waddington Galleries, William Turnbull: Horses – Development of a Theme, Other Sculptures and Paintings, June – July 2001, no.14, illustrated in colour p. 31 (another cast);
Munich, Galerie Thomas, William Turnbull: Skulpturen, April –June 2002, illustrated in colour p. 5 (another cast);
New York, Barbara Mathes Gallery, William Turnbull: Sculpture, April-June 2002 (another cast).
Literature
Amanda Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, HMF and Lund Humphries, Much Hadham, 2005, no.212, illustrated p.157.
Catalogue Note
Turnbull returned to sculpture in the mid-1970s and pursued a completely different path from the industrial minimalist manner he had previous explored. The new sculptures were exclusively in bronze, and seem to draw their inspiration from both natural forms and ancient and non-european idols and objects. The powerful but simple forms of these sculptures are often enlivened by minimal but potent markings, and Turnbull also explored the possibilities offered by the use of coloured patination. Combined with surfaces that have a timeless, weathered quality, Turnbull’s sculptures of the early 1980s show an incredible ability to use the simplest forms and imbue them with a presence often far beyond their physical size.