Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, R.A.

Acquired by Sir Terence Conran for Habitat, Wallingford, 1974-1994

Otterlo, Holland, Kroller-Muller Museum, Eduardo Paolozzi and Anthony Caro, 7th May - 2nd July 1967 (illustrated on catalogue cover, as Es Es);
London, St James', Economist Plaza, 1967;
Wallingford, Habitat Playground, until 1994;
Wakefield, Bretton Hall, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Eduardo Paolozzi: A Birthday Celebration, August - October 1994, then on long-term loan until 2010.

Alison and Peter Smithson, The Shift, Architectural Monographs 7, Academy Editions, London, 1982, illustrated p.35;
Diane Kirkpatrick, Eduardo Paolozzi, Studio Vista, London, 1970, illustrated fig.59, p.72 (as EsEs);
Winfried Konnertz, Eduardo Paolozzi, Du Mont, Cologne, 1984, p.140, 142, illustrated fig.284, p.148 (as EsEs);
Robin Spencer (ed.), Eduardo Paolozzi: Writings and Interviews, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000, pp.305.

The work is structurally sound. The surface bears some old, blue paint marks from when the work was originally painted and then stripped back. As a result, some areas of the surface appear discoloured and rubbed. There are light scratches and abrasions about the work and there are pit marks inherent to the medium. The surface is dirty, particularly to the top and along the bottom of the piece, with signs of oxidation. Generally in good overall condition and will benefit from cleaning. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any questions regarding the present lot.
"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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Suwasa, which is the title Paolozzi gave the sculpture in 1994 for the exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, was first called Es Es when it was made in 1966. It was originally painted red, with blue lining (photograph 66/142 by Norman Cotterell , vol. 5, Paolozzi Collection, Tate Archive 9411). Like the ‘wall’ sculpture Trishula, it was built from the six-sided lozenge shaped unit, one of Paolozzi’s ‘vocabulary of aluminium forms’, which he developed at Juby’s ‘Alpha’ Engineering Works, Ipswich, in the 1960s. Diane Kirkpatrick, writing in 1970, described it as a ‘stately composition’. The architects Alison and Peter Smithson borrowed the sculpture for the plaza of their Economist building (1959-64) in St James’s, Piccadilly, after it had been shown in the Paolozzi-Caro exhibition in Holland earlier that year.

Robin Spencer