Eduardo Paolozzi: Horizons of Expectations at CLEARING

Eduardo Paolozzi, Hollywood Wax Museum, 1970, screenprint on astralux paper mounted on plexiglass, 34 x 23 1/2 inches (86.4 x 60 cm).
From the portfolio Z.E.E.P. (Zero Energy Experimental Pile), 1970. Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York

 

By PAUL LASTER, NOV. 2015

A Scottish artist who was fascinated with popular culture and technology, Eduardo Paolozzi was a founding member of the Independent Group, a precursor to the American and British Pop Art movements.

His 1947 collage I was a Rich Man’s Plaything is considered to be one of the first examples of Pop Art. It’s in the collection of the Tate, which has 388 of his works. MoMA has 44 pieces—yet he remains under known on this side of the pond.

Although this show was modest in size—presenting two portfolios of silkscreen prints and three large-scale aluminum sculptures (all from the 1960s and ‘70s)—it contained some major pieces.

The six prints in the Zero Energy Experiment Pile (Z.E.E.P.) portfolio mix images of rockets, submarines and circuit boards with fashion models, politicians and film star that capture the spirit of the Cold War.

The nine prints in the Calcium Night Light series are homage to the American modernist composer Charles Ives. Each title references an Ives composition, with Paolozzi’s notations suggesting how the machine-like forms might be played.

The industrial shapes are repeated in the aluminum sculptures, which were commissioned by Terence Conran for a Habitat store playground. Never exhibited in America, the playful pieces were the icing on the cake in a super sweet show. WM

Eduardo Paolozzi, Will the Future Rulers of the Earth Come From the Ranks of Insects, 1970, screenprint on astralux paper mounted on plexiglass, 34 x 23 1/2 inches (86.4 x 60 cm). From the portfolio Z.E.E.P. (Zero Energy Experimental Pile), 1970. Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York
 

Eduardo Paolozzi, Human Fate and World Power, 1970, screenprint on astralux paper mounted on plexiglass, 34 x 23 1/2 inches (86.4 x 60 cm). From the portfolio Z.E.E.P. (Zero Energy Experimental Pile), 1970. Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York 
 

Eduardo Paolozzi, Kalasan, 1973-1974, cast, extruded and welded aluminium, 82 3/4 x 85 1/2 x 102 3/4 inches (210 x 217 x 261 cm).
Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York  

Eduardo Paolozzi, Suwasa, 1966, cast, extruded and welded aluminium, 87 1/2 x 37 1/2 x 130 3/4 inches (222 x 95 x 332 cm).
Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York

Eduardo Paolozzi, Trishula, 1966, cast, extruded and welded aluminium, 74 x 78 x 112 1/2 inches (188 x 198 x 286 cm).
Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York 
 

Four German Songs, 1975, screenprint on paper, 26 1/2 x 22 inches (67.6 x 56.1 cm). From the portfolio Calcium Light Night, 1974-76.
Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York

Calcium Light Night, 1975, screenprint on paper, 40 x 28 inches (101.6 x 71 cm). From the portfolio Calcium Light Night,
1974-76. Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York

Aeschylus and Socrates, 1975, screenprint on paper, 26 1/2 x 22 inches (67.6 x 56.1 cm). From the portfolio
Calcium Light Night, 1974-76. Courtesy C L E A R I N G, Brussels and New York

Eduardo Paolozzi: Horizons of Expectations at C L E A R I N G, New York, September 3, 2015 - November 1, 2015