Esku XVI., 1977

Eduardo Chillida   Master Artists

Eduardo Chillida was born and died in San Sebastian; he was a renowned sculptor who exhibited work alongside Miró and Picasso. His success was quickly garnered: he represented Spain at the Venice Biennial when he was just 34. He initially studied architecture before giving up his studies to focus on sculpting and drawing at the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.

He then moved to Paris, where he learned to sculpt, basing his work on the old rules of the masterpieces he admired at the Louvre. His sculptures were more abstract before discovering Brancusi and Tapiès. His creations in steel, concrete and iron reduce fundamental concepts to a single shape, the origin of all things.

To create this minimalist result, he uses particularly contrasting natural materials: the sea, wood, rain, rocks. The natural environment is a key part of his work, emphasised by framing or by the emitted sounds. Curves help to emphasise the horizontal nature of the landscape in a simple, elegant way.

In the 70s, he was one of the most well-known artists and exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. He also became a professor at the prestigious Harvard University and won the Prix Prince Asturias in 1987 and the Imperial Order of Japan in 1991. In 2001, his artwork was honoured at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.