William Turnbull

John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, where acquired by the present owner in 1988

London, Waddington Galleries, William Turnbull: Sculptures 1946-62, 1985-87, 21 October - 21 November 1987, no. 28, illustrated p. 69 (another cast)

Chatsworth, Chatsworth House, William Turnbull at Chatsworth, 10 March - 30 June 2013, no. 31, illustrated (another cast)

Amanda A. Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, The Henry Moore Foundation in association with Lund Humphries, Aldershot, 2005, no. 249, illustrated p. 171 (another cast)

‘How little will suggest a head?’ (William Turnbull, quoted in David Sylvester, William Turnbull: Sculpture and Paintings (exh. cat.)

Durning the early 1950’s William Turnbull turned to pre-classical forms as inspiration in his sculptures. This fascination was birthed from his interest in ‘archaeological and anthropological artefacts’ (Amanda A. Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, Lund Humphries, 2005, p.28) and he noticed that certain impressions and shapes, when used together, often occurred in images found throughout human history. Turnbull suggested that these ‘ancient shapes’ retained a spiritual aura, even in our ‘modern secular surroundings’ away from any specific context. (Amanda A. Davidson, The Sculpture of William Turnbull, Lund Humphries, 2005, p.28).

 ‘The Mask is a marvellous example of the attempt to fix that which is maybe most continuously fleeting and mobile – the expression of a face (W. Turnbull, 1950, quoted in T. Crosby (ed.), Uppercase 4, London, 1960, n.p.).

This current lot manages to reference the primordial while still asserting itself as a bold statement of modern sculpture, generating a dialogue with the viewer and opening itself up to different interpretations with every encounter.