One of Spain’s most celebrated sculptors, Eduardo Chillida achieved international recognition with works exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1958. Chillida forged monumental abstract forms in iron and granite, often for public spaces, as well as producing a body of etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts. His sculptures are distinguished by their geometric and curvilinear forms, as well as their combined qualities of movement and tension. Chillida is known to have had a craftsman’s intimacy with his material, often playing a hands-on role in the production of his works; with a team of blacksmiths, the artist would usually coat his metal with an alloy to create rust as it oxidized. Chillida, who expressed an affinity with the philosopher Martin Heidegger’s interest in humanity’s relationship to space, once said, “My whole work is a journey of discovery in space.”
One of Spain’s most celebrated sculptors, Eduardo Chillida achieved international recognition with works exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1958. Chillida forged monumental abstract forms in iron and granite, often for public spaces, as well as producing a body of etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts. His sculptures are distinguished by their geometric and curvilinear forms, as well as their combined qualities of movement and tension. Chillida is known to have had a craftsman’s intimacy with his material, often playing a hands-on role in the production of his works; with a team of blacksmiths, the artist would usually coat his metal with an alloy to create rust as it oxidized. Chillida, who expressed an affinity with the philosopher Martin Heidegger’s interest in humanity’s relationship to space, once said, “My whole work is a journey of discovery in space.”
