Perspex & Nylon
Matthew Frere-Smith (1923 - 1999)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
1965
Materials
Perspex, nylon filament
Measurements
370 x 378 x 378 mm
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
2 Willow Road, London
NT 112750
Summary
A perspex sculpture, ‘Perspex & Nylon’, by Matthew Frere-Smith (1923-1999). Formed from three Perspex rectangles placed at angles to one another, connected and held together by an latticework arrangement of nylon filament threaded through small holes made in some of the ends and sides of the Perspex sheets.
Full description
The sculptor Matthew Frere-Smith (1923-1999) worked for Ernö Goildfinger 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, but also modern materials such as Perspex and nylon, both used in this sculpture. Jeremy Warren, 2018
Provenance
Owned by Ernö Goldfinger and Ursula Ruth Blackwell, also known as Mrs Ernö Goldfinger. Purchased by the National Trust 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. 20