Untitled Maquette
Matthew Frere-Smith (1923 - 1999)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
circa 1962 - 1965
Materials
Aluminum and wire
Measurements
197 x 250 x 250 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
2 Willow Road, London
NT 112419
Summary
A wire and metal sculpture, by Matthew Frere-Smith (1923-1999), a maquette or small-scale model for a larger work. Formed from twisted aluminium metal rectangles, secured in spatial relationship by wires attached to the corners of the rectangles, with transversal sections of metal rod with drilled hole in the centres, the wires pushed through and fixed in place by bending the ends outwards.
Full description
The sculptor Matthew Frere-Smith (1923-1999) worked for Ernö Goldfinger on one of his major post-war projects, the complex at the Elephant and Castle in London known originally as Alexander Fleming House (now Metro Central Heights), built 1959-67. Frere-Smith made two signs, in the form of a stylised elephant with a castle on its back, to go over the entrances of the pub that formed part of the complex; these signs have recently disappeared. Goldfinger appears to have acquired three works by the artist at Frere-Smith’s one man show held in 1965 at the Drian Galleries in Porchester Place, Bayswater, London. It was during the 1960s that Frere-Smith began to work in a purely abstract style, mainly employing metal and wire. Jeremy Warren (February 2018)
Provenance
‘Matthew Frere-Smith’, Drian Galleries, 1965, no. 22 or 23. Acquired by Ernö Goldfinger for c. £12. Bequeathed to the National Trust by Ernö Goldfinger (1902-1987) and Ursula Ruth Blackwell, Mrs Ernö Goldfinger (1909 - 1991), formally acquired in 1994.
Credit line
2 Willow Road, The Ernö Goldfinger Collection (National Trust)
Makers and roles
Matthew Frere-Smith (1923 - 1999), sculptor
References
Matthew Frere-Smith, Sculpture (ex. cat.), London 1965; venue: Drian Galleries, London 1965, no. 22 or 23