Anthony Abrahams British, 1926-2019

Anthony Abrahams’ work speaks both of human strength and frailty.  Made by initially constructing wood and steel armatures and covering them in plaster, the moulds are then cast into bronze using the lost wax process. This achieves the quality of texture so key to Abrahams work, as chisel marks, scratches and the evidences of construction are preserved on the skins of his subjects.

Abrahams work is a celebration of an inner power, confidence and vitality that come with age and there is above all an overpowering sense of determination and beauty in these bodies. Often his dynamic and emotive figures also explore the difficult subject of the inner spirit at conflict with the outer body and confront us with desires that struggle to become resolved with their exterior forms. In the first catalogue of his work, Edward Phelps described Abrahams’ outlook as:

“Sometimes tender, sometimes sad…a tolerant understanding of the frailty and transience of human aspirations, a perception of our precarious hold on life.”