Charlotte Mayer Czech, b. 1929

Leaving Prague aged 10 on the cusp of World War II, Mayer came to England with her mother as a refugee. As one of only a handful of female students studying sculpture in the 1950s she attended Goldsmiths College of Art, London and later the Royal College of Art.

The power behind Mayer’s sculpture is her strong affinity with the natural world and often draws our attention to the rhythmic structures of nature and the patterns of the material world. Many of her sculptures are inspired by skeletons, seed pods, leaves, shells and ammonites, as well as bringing to the foreground the strength of nature’s elements. In her outdoor sculpture simple curves and subtle plays of light sit in perfect harmony with their natural surroundings.

Mayer also drew inspiration from meditation - the stillness and calm an important part of her creative life - making the spirit somehow present in the form. The complex constructions and elegant organic surfaces Mayer created are imbued with strength, whilst also emanating serenity and poise, making her pieces instantly recognisable.

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