Lot Essay
Helen Biggar was herself a sculptor and decorator
BENNO SCHOTZ R.S.A (1891-1984)
This sale presents a collection of over 200 examples of work from the studio of the renowned sculptor Benno Schotz, and provides a unique insight into the development of one of Scotland's most celebrated sculptors
Born in Estonia, Schotz moved to Scotland at the age of 20, where he made Glasgow his home and began to develop his career in Sculpture. Perhaps best known for his portrait heads of famous sitters, Schotz exhibited regularly throughout his career, with acclaimed one-man shows in London, Jerusalem, Haifa, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Philadelphia.
Schotz soon gained a wide reputation as a prominent figure in the contemporary art movement; he was appointed head of the Sculpture Department at the Glasgow School of Art from 1938-61 and was later honoured with the title of Sculptor in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen for Scotland in 1963.
His early love for portraiture brought him to the attention of the art critics, who for many years regarded him as second only to Jacob Epstein in this field. Trees and rocks inspired him in later years and, through preliminary pen and ink drawings, he developed ideas for modelling many of his abstract and semi-abstract studies - which were executed in a variety of media including wood, terracotta, plastic metal, plaster, bronze and cement.
Today Schotz's works are represented in art galleries and private collections worldwide, and much of his sculpted and carved works are to be seen in schools, churches, public buildings and monuments throughout Scotland. The sale includes powerfully modelled heads, delicate child portraits, classical figure studies in various moods as well as later abstract models. Executed over a period of 67 years - the earliest dates from 1917 and the latest, an unfinished sketch, dates from the summer of 1984.
Benno Schotz
Helen Biggar
Details
Benno Schotz
Helen Biggar
1932, dark bronzed plaster
13¼in. (33.6cm.) high
Helen Biggar
1932, dark bronzed plaster
13¼in. (33.6cm.) high
Provenance
With Robertson & Bruce, Dundee, 1935, no. 18.
With Reid & Lefevre, London, 1938, no. 7.
With The Fine Art Society, Glasgow, 1986, no. 21.
With Reid & Lefevre, London, 1938, no. 7.
With The Fine Art Society, Glasgow, 1986, no. 21.
Exhibited
Glasgow, Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, Annual Exhibition, 1932, no. 79.
Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy, Annual Exhibition, 1933, no. 46. Glasgow, Glasgow Art Gallery & Museum, Benno Schotz Portrait Sculpture, 1978, no. 13.
Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy, Annual Exhibition, 1933, no. 46. Glasgow, Glasgow Art Gallery & Museum, Benno Schotz Portrait Sculpture, 1978, no. 13.