A lot of brutalist art is unsigned and the reason for this is probably that their work was not necessarily regarded as art but instead misunderstood as mere ornaments or decoration. Because of this, artists never got the recognition in their life they deserved and consequently the confidence to sign their work. There is often a fine line between what is art and what is not and it is not uncommon that it just takes time for people to recognise the merit of works of art. The artist Brian Willsher for example, who creates wonderful abstract wooden sculptures, experienced this first hand. In 1968 Customs and Excise imposed a 40% manufactured goods tax on his sculptures because they argued they were ornaments, not art. Today his sculptures are widely collected.
This lack of recognition is especially true for brutalist art as it is notoriously challenging to appreciate. For brutalist artists after all, there was no attempt to make things look pretty. They were searching for a new aesthetic. By experimenting with the materials to varying degrees of success, they hoped to come to new insights about the world we live in.
This piece is one such anonymous work. It probably dates from the 1960s or 1970s and it’s clearly made by an accomplished artist but his or her name remains unknown for the time being. The work consists of hundreds of small metal pieces stuck onto a board and finished with a metal trim. That in turn is mounted onto a brown, cloth-covered backboard and framed. The metal pieces, probably various copper alloys, vary in both size and colour and are expertly glued in a slightly overlapping fashion leaving a gently textured, although almost smooth surface. From the right angle the shiny surface reflects the sunlight brilliantly and the whole piece comes to life.
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