Baltasar Lobo

Private Collection, Switzerland (acquired from the artist in 1984)
Thence by descent to the present owner

Zurich, Galerie Nathan, Baltasar Lobo - Skulpturen, Zeichnungen, 1985, no. 67, illustrated in the catalogue
Zurich, Galerie Nathan, Lobo Skulpturen, 1995-96, no. 49, illustrated in the catalogue
Madrid, Baltasar Lobo: esculturas monumentales, 2008, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Lobo’s conception of the human figure is fully evident in the majestic Femme assise, mains croisées. This exquisitely finished bronze, which possesses a vital monumentality, is a wonderful reinterpretation of a favoured pose, which Lobo inflects with a subtle sense of patient anticipation. The elegant curvature of the seated human form is pneumatically enhanced to a state of highly stylised feminine beauty. This uniquely sensuous approach characterised much of Lobo’s output. In 1939 Lobo left his native Spain for Paris where he joined the key proponents of 20th Century sculpture, including Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp and Jacques Lipchitz, with whom he shared a studio. Much of Lobo’s work focussed on the human figure, and as with his friends Henri Laurens and Pablo Picasso it was the aesthetic possibilities of simplification and exaggeration of the key elements of the female form which became his lifelong pursuit. Widely acclaimed, Lobo’s work received international attention, with exhibitions of his œuvre being held worldwide, including an early retrospective held at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Madrid in 1960. In 1998 the city of Zamora, the place of his birth, opened a museum in his name to celebrate his life and work.