The Frog

1958
Paolozzi, Eduardo
In making 'The Frog', Paolozzi used part of a piano keyboard for the gaping mouth and bottle tops for its eyes. At this time Paolozzi was developing a new method of working by pressing a multitude of found objects into clay from which a plaster cast was then made. The objects he used were as diverse as a toy frog and camera, a rubber dragon, a broken comb, radio and clock parts, model cars and pieces of bark. Paolozzi talked about them surviving as 'ghosts of forms that still haunt the bronze, details of its surface or actual structure.' By using discarded objects and casting them in a precious metal such as bronze, Paolozzi subverted the traditional use of this material. As he famously said, he was 'interested, above all, in investigating the golden ability of the artist to achieve a metamorphosis of quite ordinary things into something wonderful and extraordinary that is neither nonsensical nor morally edifying.' Ann Jones
  • Artwork Details: 68.6 x 81.3 x 86.2cm
  • Edition: 4/6
  • Material description: bronze
  • Credit line: © Trustees of the Paolozzi Foundation, Licensed by DACS 2015
  • Theme: Animals, Birds, Insects
  • Medium:
  • Accession number: AC 661

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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

With more than 8,000 works by over 2,000 artists, it can be seen in exhibitions and public displays across the country and beyond. This website offers unprecedented access to the Collection, and information about each work can be found on this site.