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Rare Bird, abstract bronze sculpture by Vivienne Foley
$14,943.09
£10,900
€12,810.30
CA$20,698.24
A$22,177.83
CHF 11,896.85
MX$262,699.46
NOK 150,072.12
SEK 137,292.77
DKK 95,694.55
About the Item
‘Rare Bird’ is a limited edition bronze sculpture by the British artist, Vivienne Foley.
Vivienne Foley’s bronze sculptures are a recent development of her best-known works in porcelain, a medium she has worked in for over 50 years. By moving between porcelain and bronze she introduces the contrasting nature of her materials and challenges our perceptions of both.
Foley's decision to bring the work forward into a completely different medium was brave to say the least. Instead of choosing the conventional path to finish works with a glaze firing, she left her workshop where she is used to working solo, to collaborate with a professional bronze casting team - a huge leap of faith. The challenge of seeing her original works in metal, was indeed transformative. For Vivienne Foley, working with the Bronze Age art foundry in London’s Limehouse Basin has been an education and a pleasure.
In her own words:
"As a professional potter I have been producing thrown porcelains for over fifty years and so logic would dictate that I have ‘seen it all, done it all’ by now, but on the contrary, I still continue to be challenged. I have never been afraid to push my materials to the limit, to accept failures and to follow trails, but I am always excited when basic techniques and familiar methods result in something new and with working also with bronze, the two materials complement each other as they are such opposites. I am not influenced by any particular thing – rather, I am interested in everything; always looking for quality and workmanship. I love all aspects of the design world from architecture to textiles. Museums, galleries and exhibitions are my addiction, with photography and the natural world a constant inspiration”
Public Collections and Acquisitions
National Museum of Ireland, Dublin • Limerick City Art Gallery • Ulster Museum, N. Ireland • Crafts Council of Ireland • Centre of Ceramic Art, York Museums Trust • Southampton City Art Gallery • Leeds Museums
Galleries • US Ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith • President Hillery of Ireland • President Mary Robinson of Ireland • Prime Minister Charles Haughey of Ireland • President Hertzog of Israel • Prime Minister Keating of Australia • Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia • US President Bill Clinton and Hilary Rodham Clinton • Royal Household, Sweden • Nancy Soderberg • President Jacques Chirac of France • Irish Embassy, Berlin • Sandy Lane Hotel, Barbados • Ford UK, London • Four Seasons Hotel, Amman, Jordan • Rolex, London • Regent Palace Hotel, Budapest Hungary • Millenium Hotel, Knightsbridge, London • Aspin Insurance , London • Coutts Bank. London • Four Seasons Hotel, Moscow • King Salman Household, Saudi Arabia
Awards
Royal Dublin Society 1st prize - 1983,84,85 • Royal Dublin Society awards and 2nd prize - 1981, 82
- Creator:Vivienne Foley (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 15.16 in (38.5 cm)Width: 7.68 in (19.5 cm)Depth: 7.68 in (19.5 cm)
- Style:Organic Modern (In the Style Of)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2025
- Production Type:New Custom(One of a Kind)
- Estimated Production Time:Available Now
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1023048364262
About the Seller
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142 sales on 1stDibs
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I am not influenced by any particular thing – rather, I am interested in everything; always looking for quality and workmanship. I love all aspects of the design world from architecture to textiles. Museums, galleries and exhibitions are my addiction, with photography and the natural world a constant inspiration.
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Having worked with porcelain for over 5 decades, it is Foley’s dedication that gives her such sensitivity towards her medium. This combined with her expert glazing and acknowledgement of this material’s vast history, results in very fresh and modern works that equally pay homage to what has gone before. Flower forms, poppy heads, bracts and petals translate into foliate rims and sinuous necks, carved and pleated or swept into a spiral. A contemporary marriage of craft, history and nature.
In her own words:
“As a professional potter I have been producing thrown porcelains for over fifty years and so logic would dictate that I have ‘seen it all, done it all’ by now, but on the contrary I still continue to be challenged and interested. The technical frustrations and the uncertainty of results all seem worthwhile when one opens a successful kiln firing. The heart leaps!
I have never been afraid to push my materials to the limit, to accept failures and to follow trails, but I am always excited when basic techniques and familiar methods result in something new. My primary interest is in ‘form’ and in finding solutions for what I call ‘damp engineering’. The comparatively non-plastic nature of porcelain dictates my having to join sections together, but a form must ‘flow’ and construction methods should not be obvious.
Over the years I have fired every sort of kiln and dallied with glazes, spending untold hours testing and rejecting, but since I now work in a small space I find simple black and white glazes and slips are less distracting and best enhance my forms.
I am not influenced by any particular thing – rather, I am interested in everything; always looking for quality and workmanship. I love all aspects of the design world from architecture to textiles. Museums, galleries and exhibitions are my addiction, with photography and the natural world a constant inspiration.
My travels to China and my ongoing study of Chinese ceramics have also been an enduring theme and I have been lucky enough to handle and photograph some of the world’s great collections”
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Having worked with porcelain for over 5 decades, it is Foley’s dedication that gives her such sensitivity towards her medium. This combined with her expert glazing and acknowledgement of this material’s vast history, results in very fresh and modern works that equally pay homage to what has gone before. Flower forms, poppy heads, bracts and petals translate into foliate rims and sinuous necks, carved and pleated or swept into a spiral. A contemporary marriage of craft, history and nature.
In her own words:
“As a professional potter I have been producing thrown porcelains for over fifty years and so logic would dictate that I have ‘seen it all, done it all’ by now, but on the contrary I still continue to be challenged and interested. The technical frustrations and the uncertainty of results all seem worthwhile when one opens a successful kiln firing. The heart leaps!
I have never been afraid to push my materials to the limit, to accept failures and to follow trails, but I am always excited when basic techniques and familiar methods result in something new. My primary interest is in ‘form’ and in finding solutions for what I call ‘damp engineering’. The comparatively non-plastic nature of porcelain dictates my having to join sections together, but a form must ‘flow’ and construction methods should not be obvious.
Over the years I have fired every sort of kiln and dallied with glazes, spending untold hours testing and rejecting, but since I now work in a small space I find simple black and white glazes and slips are less distracting and best enhance my forms.
I am not influenced by any particular thing – rather, I am interested in everything; always looking for quality and workmanship. I love all aspects of the design world from architecture to textiles. Museums, galleries and exhibitions are my addiction, with photography and the natural world a constant inspiration.
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