Kenneth Armitage, R.A.

Gallery Moos, Toronto, where acquired by the present owner

Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Kenneth Armitage & William Scott, 3rd - 30th June 1959, cat. no.4 (another cast);
London, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Kenneth Armitage, July - August 1959, cat. no.9 (another cast);
London, Jonathan Clark, Kenneth Armitage: 60 Years of Sculpture and Drawing, March - April 2001, cat. no.7, illustrated in the catalogue (another cast).

Roland Penrose, Kenneth Armitage: Artists of our Time Vol.vii, Bodensee - Verlag, Amriswil, Switzerland, 1960, cat. no.6, illustrated pl.6 (another cast);
Norbert Lynton, Kenneth Armitage, Methuen, London, 1962, illustrated (unpaginated);
Charles Spencer, Kenneth Armitage, Academy Editions, London, 1973, illustrated p.6;
Tamsyn Woollcombe (ed.) in association with the artist, Kenneth Armitage: Life and Work, The Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, London, 1997, KA22, p.143.

There are a few very tiny abrasions to the patination, including one above the figure's right leg and one on the left breast. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present work
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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Flat Standing Figure of 1952 is quite unlike most of Armitage's contemporary work in that it evokes a sense of complete stillness, rather than the animation of most of his sculpture of the early 1950s. The figure stands straight on to the viewer and the incredibly thin profile seems totally at odds with the apparent bulk of the initial view. The influence of contemporary European sculpture may also need to be acknowledged here as there does seem to be a definite link with Giacometti's Standing Woman sculptures of 1949-50, and although Giacometti did not have his first London show until 1955, the Tate Gallery had acquired Man Pointing, 1947 by him in 1949, and both Paolozzi and Turnbull, fellow exhibitors in Venice in 1952, had first-hand experience of his work.