Beschreibung:

Artist: Frederick Edward McWilliam RA (1909-1992) Title: Twisted Form (1935) Medium: cherrywood on stone base Size: 58 x 19 x 12.80cm (22.8 x 7.5 x 5in) Provenance: Waddington's Gallery, London, stock no. B12919 (label attached); Private Collection Exhibited: London Gallery, 1939; Waddington's, Gallery London, 1984; 'A Salute to British Surrealism 1930 - 1950' Arts Council Tour, 1985 a#morebtn { color: #de1d01; } a#morebtn:hover { cursor: pointer;} In 'Twisted Form', F. E. McWilliam succeeds in conveying a sense of organic vitality, while at the same time avoiding representing a specific living being. From one point of view, the sculpture suggests an owl or a parrot; from another it could be a human being. The artist's genius lies in his abili... Read more Frederick Edward McWilliam Lot 81 - 'Twisted Form (1935)' Estimate: €15,000 - €25,000 In 'Twisted Form', F. E. McWilliam succeeds in conveying a sense of organic vitality, while at the same time avoiding representing a specific living being. From one point of view, the sculpture suggests an owl or a parrot; from another it could be a human being. The artist's genius lies in his ability to suggest, rather than represent. Born in Banbridge, Co. Down, F. E. McWilliam studied at the Belfast College of Art and the Slade School of Art in London, before moving on to Paris, where he was inspired by the ethnographic sculptures displayed in the Musée de l'Homme. He carved Twisted Form not long after returning from France in 1932. As with his Mother and Child, Figure and Woodhenge, all dating from the 1930's, Twisted Form is carved from a single piece of cherrywood, revealing the influence of Brancusi and Hans Arp Early pieces by McWilliam such as Twisted Form were semi-abstract, but seeing the International Surrealist Exhibition in London in 1936, he had a change of direction, as evidenced in works such as Kneeling Figure (1947) in the Sainsbury Collection. McWilliam settled in London, where he taught sculpture at the Slade School for over twenty years. There have been several retrospective exhibitions of his work, including one at the Douglas Hyde Gallery and the Ulster Museum in 1981, and another at the Tate Gallery, London in 1989. Peter Murray, September 2023