Tony Cragg designed and constructed the two-part bronze sculpture Pair in close contact with collector Reinhard Ernst for a niche in the museum building which stretches over two floors. It was the first piece of work to arrive in the museum. The four-ton piece was delivered through the museum’s unfinished façade in May 2021 and remained safely packed during the rest of the construction phase. Cragg’s sculptures are inspired by nature and its forms. The layering of elements in Pair appears organic while following a strict geometric logic. Since the 1970s, Cragg has experimented with a wide variety of materials including wood, glass, bronze, and plaster, exploring the relationship between natural and man-made forms and structures.
Tony Cragg (*1949)
Pair, 2019
Currently exhibited: Yes (1st floor)
Material: Bronze
Size: two-part, 650 x 172 x 149 cm, 620 x 156 x 155 cm
Inv-Nr.: B_540
Image rights: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Keywords:
Commissioned by Reinhard Ernst exclusively for the Museum Reinhard Ernst
Acquisition: Reinhard Ernst Collection, Tony Cragg, 2019
Tony Cragg designed and constructed the two-part bronze sculpture Pair in close contact with collector Reinhard Ernst for a niche in the museum building which stretches over two floors. It was the first piece of work to arrive in the museum. The four-ton piece was delivered through the museum’s unfinished façade in May 2021 and remained safely packed during the rest of the construction phase.
Cragg’s sculptures are inspired by nature and its forms. The layering of elements in Pair appears organic while following a strict geometric logic. Since the 1970s, Cragg has experimented with a wide variety of materials including wood, glass, bronze, and plaster, exploring the relationship between natural and man-made forms and structures. His smaller, wooden sculpture Willow II (2015) is also part of the Reinhard Ernst Collection. He is driven by one fundamental question: ‘What interests me is the inner energy of the materials, like what we see – what is the causal background of this appearance? That’s exactly what I wanted to achieve with my work: the inner form.’ [1]
The artist and his team often work on up to 30 pieces in parallel in his studio. For Pair, the initial drawings were first turned into small wooden models which were then scanned and then turned into larger models. The two sculptures, which are about six metres high, were reproduced in their original size in 20 individual parts in polystyrene, covered with fibreglass, filled and sanded. Impressions were then taken of the elements in oiled moulding sand in the foundry. The negative moulds were then recast in liquid bronze with a temperature of 1,300 degrees. The parts were then assembled, casting edges and joints closed and the sculpture polished. Due to the complex process involved, the whole production took about a year to complete.
[1] Tony Cragg, in: Tony Cragg: Parts of the World, edited by the Institute for Art Documentation, September 2021, URL: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/tonycragg
