Eduardo Chillida Spanish, 1924-2002
“SPACE MUST BE CONCEIVED IN TERMS OF PLASTIC VOLUME. . . . FORM SPRINGS SPONTANEOUSLY FROM THE NEEDS OF THE SPACE THAT BUILDS ITS DWELLING LIKE AN ANIMAL ITS SHELL. JUST LIKE THIS ANIMAL I AM ALSO AN ARCHITECT OF THE VOID.”
-EDUARDO CHILLIDA
Eduardo Chillida is best known for his monumental sculptures that turn rigid, unforgiving materials such as iron, steel, and granite into interconnected, often organically curved forms. The artist - whose practice also included printmaking, drawing, and wood and plaster sculpture - took inspiration from his travels around Italy, Greece, and France as well as the industry, architecture, agriculture, and landscape in his native Basque region.
Chillida won the Grand International Prize for Sculpture when he represented Spain at the Venice Biennale in 1958. His work has been exhibited in New York, London, Tokyo, Barcelona, Basel, and Paris, among other cities. His sculptures have sold for seven figures at auction and belong in the collections of the Kunstmuseum Basel, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Tate (via Artsy).