William Turnbull

Waddington Galleries, London, where acquired by the present owner, May 2001

Cambridge, Jesus College, Sculpture in the Close: an Exhibition of the Works of William Turnbull, 24th June - 31st July 1990, cat. no.16, illustrated p.31 (another cast);
London, Waddington Galleries, William Turnbull: Recent Sculpture, 25th September - 19th October 1991, cat. no.2, illustrated p.9 (another cast).

Amanda A. Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, The Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, 2005, cat. no.255, illustrated p.173 (another cast).

The sculpture appears sound. There is some minor rubbing to some of the protruding edges of the sculpture. There are one or two extremely minor traces of casting residue, and there may be some minor traces of oxidisation in places.There is some light surface dirt across the work, and there is some organic matter apparent to the base of the work, consistent with the work having been displayed outside. Subject to the above, the work appears to be in very good overall condition. The sculpture is freestanding. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 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.
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."

‘I start with an idea or sensation, and finish with an object – an image… Between the idea and the image there is a dialogue with the material, the chance occurrence of shapes and surfaces that I leave or reject – an activity, that leaves me with something very different from my original idea.’

(the Artist, Statement in Contemporary British Sculpture, (exh. cat.), The Arts Council of Great Britain, 1958.)

As a sculptor William Turnbull was fascinated with the idea of archetypes that speak of the human condition, beyond time and without geographical boundary, both describing our presence in the world but also acting as intermediaries between us and the divine. During his early years studying at the Slade, Turnbull would walk the short distance to the British Museum, spending hours amidst the collection of Neolithic tools and Palaeolithic carved figures, drawn to the agelessness of these sacred forms.

Together with the aesthetic dialogue observed during his time spent studying in Paris, where he was exposed to the work of Giacometti and Brancusi, it was this ancient visual language that guided his sculptural approach of the 1950s and ‘60s, before his sculpture took a radical departure with the introduction of cut and welded metals in the mid- to late-1960s. However by the 1980s Turnbull returned once again to the hieratic forms that had hitherto so inspired him, in part as a form of self-reflection following his 1973 Tate retrospective.

He worked and re-worked his archaeological ‘tool’ figures, developing and refining both the form and the surface, paying equal attention to both. The hitherto boldly constructed surface textures and defined ridges were softened, replaced instead with fine and delicate incised lines and markings. He further elongated the forms, creating a new sense of lightness and balance that became synonymous with his 1980s monolithic forms. As Amanda Davidson identifies:  ‘The new idols not only reflect the spiritual nature of art in a secular society but also go on to ask questions about the value and use of various subjects and of artworks themselves' (Amanda A. Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, The Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, Aldershot, 2005, p.62).

Large Paddle Venus is one of the most substantial monolithic bronzes Turnbull produced during this period, and takes inspiration from his earlier abstracted figures, together with his collection of primitive tools, modern objects and religious statues, including works from African and Oceanic cultures. The form itself closely derives from a Churinga – a totemic object carved in wood or stone and held by the Aboriginal cultures to be sacred. Fertility is also an important reference point within the present work, with the title alone offering references to the goddess Venus and her association with love, fertility and idealised beauty, all within this delicately pared-back and simple form.