Lynn Chadwick was one of the few great British sculptors of the 20th century and widely regarded as the successor of Henry Moore for among others his well-known simplified human figures with triangle or square heads, straight and spiky legs and heavy sweeping drapery.
The essentials of structure and movement are superbly conveyed in both his monumental simplifications as well as in his small bronzes. The combination of his background as an architectural draughtsman and his skills in welding led to his ability to develop a distinct individual style of archetypal sculptures, with a universal language. His work spans fifty years and consists of over a thousand pieces. His work developed from mobiles through to animal forms evolving into more obviously figurative sculptures. In the early 1950s he gained recognition abroad when he was one of the twelve semi-finalists for the Unknown Political Prisoner International Sculpture Competition in 1953 and he went on to win the International Prize for Sculpture at the 1956 Venice Biennale, which meant his international breakthrough. Many honours and awards followed and Chadwick's work is a cornerstone of all major international art collections. In 2003 a retrospective exhibition of his work was held at Tate Britain, London. At the same time much has been written about Chadwick, including a complete illustrated catalogue covering his work over the years 1947-1996.