Estella Campavias

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Estella Campavias
Campavias as photographed by Ida Kar, 1958
Born1918
Istanbul
Died1990 (aged 71–72)
NationalityBritish
Known forCeramics

Estella Campavias (1918–1990) was a British sculptor and ceramicist. She is known for glazed stoneware, as on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum.[1][2]

Early life[edit]

Born in Istanbul, Campavias was of Scottish and Spanish extraction.[3] She was brought up in Turkey,[4] and travelled as the daughter of a diplomat.[3] Self-taught, Campavias first found fame as a ceramicist, beginning her career in 1955,[4] before developing as a sculptor in the 1970s.[5]

Works[edit]

Her abstract sculptures take the form of smooth flowing figures, seemingly in movement.[6] Her sculptures were exhibited in Italy, France and the United Kingdom.[6] Some of her pieces: Head (c.1980), Reclining Figure (c.1980) and La Joie de Vivre (1988) were featured, for sale, in the Wolseley Fine Arts Catalogue of Modern and Contemporary Sculpture.[4] In 2013, some of her previously unseen works were exhibited at the Glyndebourne Festival alongside the work of Sean Henry and Michael Craig-Martin.[7] She was described by Roy Oppenheim as "one of the most exciting sculptors of our time".[3][7] An image of Campavias, taken by Ida Kar is held in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.[8]

Further reading[edit]

  • Thomas, Oliver Watson; photography by Ian; Kitcatt, Mike (1990). British studio pottery : the Victoria and Albert Museum collection. Oxford: Phaidon Christie's In association with the Victoria and Albert Museum. ISBN 0-7148-8067-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bowl: Campavias CIRC.6-1959". Victoria and Albert: Search the Collections. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  2. ^ "Bowl: Campavias CIRC.131-1958". Victoria and Albert: Search the Collections. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Oppenheim, Roy. "Estella Campavias" (PDF). Campavias.ch. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Otten, Rupert. "Modern and Contemporary Sculpture" (PDF). Wolseley Fine Arts. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Estella Campavias". Campavias.ch. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  6. ^ a b David Buckman (2006). Artists in Britain Since 1945 Vol 1, A to L. Art Dictionaries Ltd. ISBN 0 953260 95 X.
  7. ^ a b "Beyond the stage: A newly curated art collection that evokes the style, drama and wonder of Glyndebourne". www.glyndebourne.com. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  8. ^ "Estella Campavias (1918–1990) Cermaicist". National Portrait Gallery: Search the Collection. Retrieved 11 March 2015.