Anthony CRAGG aka Tony CRAGG (1949 - ) - Lot 217

Anthony CRAGG aka Tony CRAGG (1949 - ) Composition, 2001 One-of-a-kind proof in bronze with black-brown shaded patina, signed on the base and publisher's stamp "Schmäke Düsseldorf". 49 x 23 x 16 cm We would like to thank the Tony Cragg studio for confirming the authenticity and uniqueness of this work. Condition report available on request from : contact@neo-encheres.com PROVENANCE Collection of Monsieur Claude Lorius, then inherited by his children This is an exceptional work given to Mr. Claude Lorius as part of his research into polar paleoclimatology. His scientific work has been decisive, as it pioneered the field of prehistoric climate. He was also one of the first to denounce global warming. The work is accompanied by the award certificate from the Balzan Foundation, dated 2001. NOTICE Tony Cragg is a contemporary English artist who has constantly renewed his practice. At the beginning of his career, he experimented with the accumulation and compression of waste in the manner of Caesar, before finally turning to stacking, where his sculptures take the form of geological strata. His work of the 2000s develops a vast body of anamorphic sculptures in which distortion enables sculpture to become polysemic. Mathematical and scientific logic are never far from his thoughts: he develops the phenomenon of optical illusion which, when the viewer turns around the object, enables one form to be transformed into another, in this case faces, as in our work. Our work seems to grow and change constantly, thanks to the play of light on the shiny bronze surface. Profiles form the main motif of the sculpture, constantly changing character as you move around them, appearing from different angles. A taut neck becomes a curved lip, which in turn becomes a round cheek or a pronounced nose. Such a work invites the viewer to reflect on the complexity of the human being and his or her choices in a constantly changing world. And it is undoubtedly for this reason that the Balzan Foundation called on this artist to imagine the 2001 Prize, an international award that recognizes four individuals from the fields of science, culture and humanitarian action. Our work is exceptional in its rarity and format, with only four copies printed for the Prize winners.