27 - LYNN CHADWICK (1914–2003)
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Estimate €2,500,000 - €2,700,000

Description

LYNN CHADWICK (1914–2003) High Hat Man and High Hat Woman, 1968 bronze edition 1/4 H. 232 cm and 237 cm, respectively Created in 1968, these sculptures form part of an edition of four. PROVENANCE: The Estate of the Artist Finartis Kunsthandels AG, Switzerland Private collection LITERATURE: D. Farr and E. Chadwick, Lynn Chadwick, Sculptor: With a Complete Illustrated Catalogue 1947–2005, Lund Humphries, London, 2006, nos. 570 and 571, p. 258 (other casts reproduced). EXHIBITIONS: Osborne Samuel Gallery, London, 2004 (reproduced). High Hat Man and High Hat Woman, two monumental bronze sculptures, were created in 1968, at the height of Lynn Chadwick’s artistic maturity. This pair reflects the artist’s enduring interest in the human figure and the relationships between forms. The male figure, characterised by a broad, rectangular torso, contrasts with the female silhouette, which is more slender and elongated, distinguished by her narrow neck, longer legs and the subtle modelling of her chest and abdomen. Both wear tall hats with characteristic geometric shapes. Their angular bodies and elongated limbs reduce the human form to a few essential geometric shapes, whilst the differences in posture and proportions suggest a psychological relationship between the two figures. Chadwick succeeds in capturing this elusive notion of ‘attitude’ through the subtle interplay of their forms. Evoking Jungian archetypes of the masculine and the feminine, this pair forms part of the artist’s exploration of couples standing, sitting or reclining—a recurring theme in his work since the mid-1950s. Chadwick’s method was instinctive and experimental. He developed his sculptures directly in three dimensions, generally without preparatory drawings. This approach shared affinities with the artistic principles of automatism, Informel and Abstract Expressionism. The forms emerged from the process of construction rather than from the execution of a predefined plan. He welded steel rods to form openwork structures, a process he described as ‘drawing with steel rods’, before applying Stolit, a compound of gypsum and iron filings, to create surfaces that could be smoothed or worked into relief. The models were then cast in bronze. Although costly and technically complex—a process that made the creation of sculptures on this scale particularly demanding—bronze came to play a predominant role in his output from the late 1950s onwards. Chadwick regarded colour as an element likely to distract attention from form. He therefore favoured patina effects, surface textures and, occasionally, facets of polished bronze. The combination of rigid geometric structures and organic forms in his work also evokes the biomorphic tendencies of post-war abstraction. Chadwick had received no formal training in sculpture. Trained in architectural draughtsmanship, he worked in architectural practices before turning to sculpture. After the Second World War, his collaboration with the architect Rodney Thomas led him to his first experiments with mobiles, at a time when Alexander Calder’s works were still relatively unknown in Britain, as Chadwick later recalled. In 1950, keen to acquire the technical skills needed to create larger-scale works, he undertook training in welding at the British Oxygen Company’s Welding School in Cricklewood, London, where he learnt to work with iron, steel, brass and copper. His work gradually evolved from mobiles and openwork constructions towards three-dimensional sculpture. For many years, Chadwick carried out much of the technical work involved in creating his sculptures himself. In 1971, he set up his own foundry at Lypiatt Park, intended primarily for the production of jewellery and small-scale bronzes. Chadwick gained international renown in 1952, when he exhibited at the British Pavilion at the 26th Venice Biennale, alongside a new generation of British sculptors associated with the famous concept of the ‘Geometry of Fear’ formulated by Herbert Read. Their angular, often skeletal forms reflected the anxieties of post-war Europe, a context in which Chadwick’s early sculptures were widely interpreted. At the 1956 Venice Biennale, he was awarded the International Prize for Sculpture, beating Alberto Giacometti and César, and thus becoming the youngest recipient of this honour. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1964. Created twelve years after his triumph in Venice, this pair combines the architectural rigour of his structures, the material richness of his mature bronzes and his constant interest in the psychological relationship between human figures. Standing over two metres tall, ‘High Hat Man’ and ‘High Hat Woman’ combine geometric abstraction with a profoundly human presence, fully embodying the monumental and expressive nature of Chadwick’s sculptural language at its zenith. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSION CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.

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About the sale From 19th-century art to modern art, Eastern European art, icons, Camille Pissarro, Jean-Baptiste Olive, Lynn Chadwick, Léon Bakst.

Auction location

Auction time 10/27/2026 at 2:30 PM

Lot description modified on 10/14/2026 at 11:18 AM

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27 - LYNN CHADWICK (1914–2003) See original version (French)

27 - LYNN CHADWICK (1914–2003)
See original version (French)