Dear Scotland, Love Eduardo Paolozzi

By Ilaria Bevan

Of the few British artists who came to international prominence soon after World War II, Sir Eduardo Paolozzi was one of the most inventive, prolific and varied.

Photograph of the artist. Courtesy of The Scotsman online.

Paolozzi’s parents immigrated from the remote Italian province of Frosinone to Leith in northern Edinburgh, Scotland, where Paolozzi was born on March 7, 1924. There the family ran a small ice cream parlour which the young Paolozzi was seemingly destined to inherit. However, Paolozzi had thought of becoming a commercial artist. His ambitions soon became more elevated, partly as a result of his determination to make his name in a country which he never regarded as entirely his own, and partly due to his affinity for drawing. Furthermore, from a young age, Paolozzi was interested in reading American magazines and often would cut out pictures he liked and pasted them in a scrapbook; a habit that would come to inform his iconic collage pictures such as the Bunk! series.

*Bunk! Evadne in Green Dimension*, 1952. Part of *Bunk!*. Screenprint and lithograph on paper, 301 x 213mm. Tate Collection, London.

When Italy entered World War II in support of Germany in 1940, the teenage Paolozzi was interned as an enemy alien and, after being released from this post, was conscripted into the Italian army where he served in the army for a year. Faking madness to secure a discharge, Paolozzi was intent on fulfilling his dreams of becoming an artist and quickly became enrolled at the Edinburgh College of Art in 1943. From there he completed a few months at Saint Martin’s School of Art in 1944 before moving onto the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art at University COllege London from 1944 to 1947. Following his studies the artist moved to Paris where he would remain for the next two years. There he became acquainted with some of the greatest names in modern European art including Jean Arp, Alberto Giacometti and Georges Braque, amongst others who inspired him to create enigmatic bronze sculptures in a similar abstract style.

At the same time, however, Paolozzi was experimenting with surrealist-style collages in which he combined material from magazines, cartoon comic books, and machine parts, culminating in celebrated collages such as If I were a Rich Man’s Plaything (1947) that would come to be viewed as the precursor to Pop Art.

*If I was a Rich Man’s Plaything*, 1947. Part of *Ten Collages from BUNK*. Printed papers on card, 359 x 238mm. Tate Collection, London.

Although Paolozzi’s work does not take inspiration from his birthplace, the pioneer of Pop maintained an emotional connection with Scotland which became increasingly prominent during the last years of his life. Concerned with his posthumous reputation and eager to shape it in the best and most honest light possible, the artist attempted to write an autobiography (which he never completed) and donate countless prints and sculptures across Scotland ( as well as in England and abroad), relishing any sign of his eminence. For the purposes of this article, I shall describe only the most important events.

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, The Dean Gallery (Modern 2), Edinburgh

In 1994 Paolozzi left a major bequest of works of art - including sculptures, drawings and prints - and much of the content of his studio to the National Galleries of Scotland who, for the occasion, decided to open the Dean Gallery (known as Modern 2) to display this collection of artworks and artefacts. Opening in 1999, the Dean Gallery permanently houses a fascinating reconstruction of the artist’s London studio that carefully recreates the chaos of his working environment. Strewn across the Paolozzi studio are books, reading and working papers, plaster casts and even a bunk for resting where the artist slept on weekdays. Such a great array of artefacts not only materialises the distinctly varied works produced by the artist during his lifetime, but also allows visitors to get a sense of his creative methods and the things that inspired the artist most.

Photograph of Paolozzi Studio installation. Courtesy of the National Galleries of Scotland.

On display outside the Dean Gallery is a sculpture entitled Master of the Universe produced by Paolozzi in 1989. Bought by the museum a year after its creation, the bronze sculpture is based on a famous drawing by Sir William Blake depicting Isaac Newton. Adopting the pose from the drawing, Paolozzi mechanises Newton turning him into an android-like figure, an effect which he achieved by cutting up and reassembling plaster models.

*Man of the Universe*, 1989. Bronze, 147 x 190.2 x 106.5cm. National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh.

Cleish Castle, Kinross-shire

In the 1970s Paolozzi was interested in experimenting with silkscreen painting and relief sculpture as media to create abstract images. Using this mechanical abstract style as source material, Paolozzi used this style of art to inform a set of eight ceiling panels and window tapestries that he had been commissioned to create for Cleish Castle in 1975. Comprising of conceived elements working together, the panels may be rearranged in whatever manner one desires, thus creating numerous compositional possibilities. Due to changes in ownership, these works may also be found in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, Glasgow

The set of aluminium doors positioned at the main entrance of the University of Glasgow’s Hunterian Museum are amongst the finest of Paolozzi’s public sculptures. Installed in April 1981 and commissioned by the art gallery’s designer, William Whitfield, the idea for the set of doors was conceived by the artist when meeting with the architects of the Hunterian Art Gallery about a different building. Boasting motifs akin to his abstract silkscreen prints of the 1970s, the patterns have a lyrical, syncopated quality that beautifully captures the light and demonstrates Paolozzi’s skills in sculpture.

Bibliography:

National Galleries of Scotland. “Eduardo Paolozzi.” Last accessed 16 February, 2022. https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/artists/eduardo-paolozzi.

National Galleries of Scotland. “Paolozzi Studio.” Last accessed 16 February, 2022. https://www.nationalgalleries.org/exhibition/paolozzi-studio.

Royal Academy. “Sir Eduardo Paolozzi RA (1924-2005).” RA Collection: People amnd Organisations. Last accessed 16 February, 2022. https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/art-artists/name/eduardo-paolozzi-ra.

The Scotsman. “Eduardo Paolozzi: A Scottish artist with a love of colour.” The Newsroom. Last modified 26 May, 2017. https://www.scotsman.com/news/eduardo-paolozzi-scottish-artist-love-colour-3096199.

Undiscovered Scotland. “Eduardo Paolozzi.” Accessed 16 February, 2021. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/p/eduardopaolozzi.html#:~:text=In%201979%20Eduardo%20Paolozzi%20was,the%20content%20of%20his%20studio.

Wilford, Frank. “Sir Eduardo Paolozzi.” The Guardian. Last modified 22 April, 2005. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2005/apr/22/obituaries.