Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002)
Eduardo Chillida Juantegui was a Spanish Basque sculptor.
Chillida's earliest sculptures concentrated on the human form (mostly torsos and
busts); his later works tended to be more massive and more abstract, producing
many monumental public works. Chillida himself tended to reject the label of
"abstract", preferring instead to call himself a "realist sculptor".
At their best his works, although massive and monumental, suggest movement and
tension. For example, the largest of his works in the United States, "De Musica"
is an 81-ton steel sculpture featuring two pillars with arms that reach out but
do not touch. Much of Chillida's work is inspired by his Basque upbringing, and
many of his sculptures' titles are in the Basque language Euskera. A large body
of his work can be seen in the Basque city, San Sebastián (Donostia).
His steel sculpture "De Música III" was exhibited at the Yorkshire Sculpture
Park in the UK, as part of a retrospective of Chillida's work. |
