Butler, Reg
Reg Butler was born in Buntingford, England. He studied at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London between 1937 and 1939. During World War II, Butler worked as a blacksmith - an occupation, which undoubtedly encouraged him to take up sculpture. Although he received no formal training, in 1953 he won first prize in an international competition for a monument to the Unknown Political Prisoner and participated in the Documenta exhibition in Kassel. By the mid 1950s Butler was considered one of the most promising British sculptors, welding his metal constructions that often consisted of single, unconnected pieces.
'Torso' is an early example of Reg Butler's figurative work, which preoccupied the artist from the 1950s. Taking the female body as his main subject, his late sculptures often took years to complete and are considered to have a lot in common with the works of Hans Bellmer and Allen Jones, deliberately distorting female anatomy to stress the models' sensuousness.
Monika McConnell
- Artwork Details: 90 x 24 x 21cm
- Edition:
- Material description: bronze
- Credit line: © Estate of Reg Butler
- Theme: Figurative
- Medium:
- Accession number: AC 430