Lynn Chadwick

Lynn Chadwick stands out as one of the most compelling artists to emerge from post-war Britain. His career took off in 1956 when he became the youngest sculptor ever to win the prestigious International Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale, propelling him into the ranks of the most significant sculptors of the 20th century.

Before the war, Chadwick worked as an architectural draughtsman, later serving as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm during WWII. Afterward, he pursued sculpture independently, initially focusing on kinetic works defined by their fluid, undulating movements that created forms in space. This exploration evolved into a need to solidify these forms, and by 1950, Chadwick developed his distinctive “drawing in space” technique, welding triangulated steel rod structures and filling the spaces with a mixture of iron filings and plaster.

Without the constraints of formal art training, Chadwick’s work emerged intuitively from his imagination, resulting in a remarkable body of innovative human and animal forms. His growing international reputation led to an intense schedule of exhibitions, museum shows, and both private and public commissions.

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Chadwick’s work evolved toward faceted figuration, creating striking figures with robed or winged bodies standing on slender legs. He continued exploring motion, balance, and physical expression, which he described as “Attitude,” drawing on his earlier interest in kinetic art. In the 1990s, Chadwick revisited the themes of beasts and couples using reflective stainless steel panels, culminating in monumental reinterpretations of his mobile forms.

After a prolific five-decade career, Chadwick completed his final work, Ace of Diamonds, in 1996. He passed away in 2003, the same year Tate Britain honored him with a major retrospective exhibition.