Sir Anthony Alfred Caro (8 March 1924 – 23 October 2013) was an English abstract sculptor whose work is characterized by assemblages of steel using ‘found’ industrial objects.
Photo: Anthony Caro © Barford Sculptures Ltd.
Anthony Caro encountered modernism when working as an assistant to Henry Moore in the 1950’s. After being introduced to the American sculptor David Smith in the early 1960s, he abandoned his earlier figurative work and started constructing sculptures by welding or bolting together pieces of steel such as I-beams, steel plates and meshes. Twenty Four Hours (1960), is one of his earliest abstract sculptures in painted steel.
Photo: Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wiesenberger Fund ©2023 Anthony Caro
Being abstract, these creations were entirely unfamiliar but possessed a tangible presence. When first shown in Caro’s one-man exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, in 1963, they caused a sensation, heralding a revolution in the way sculpture was regarded. Caro’s radical, new approach to methods and materials was liberating, and it changed the very idea of what sculpture was – and could be.
source: annelyjudafineart
Caro is often credited with the significant innovation of removing the sculpture from its plinth. Caro’s sculptures are usually self-supporting and sit directly on the floor. In doing so, they remove a barrier between the work and the viewer, who is invited to approach and interact with the sculpture from all sides. Always working without sketches or plans, Caro is an artist with an innate sense of form and materials, who prefers to work toward “making it real” than to operate from preparatory designs.
Photo: Mike Bruce, courtesy Gagosian Gallery © Barford Sculptures Ltd.
Caro’s work is represented in over 150 museums and other public collections worldwide and he received a lifetime achievement award from the International Sculpture Center in 1997. Caro is the only contemporary sculptor to have been exhibited at London’s National Gallery (in 1998) and was the subject of an important mid-career retrospective at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1975.
Photo: © Barford Sculptures Ltd.
In 2005, the Tate Britain in London presented a major Caro retrospective. When you encounter Caro’s sculptures, you realize steel can be breathtakingly beautiful. His sculptures are powerful and at the same time graceful and elegant like a light-footed dancer.
About the Author:
Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.
