Eduardo Paolozzi’s study of the iconic mosaic in Tottenham Court Road Tube Station in London is coming home to Edinburgh.
The study, drawn on a 6’x 3’ panel, has been sold to the Dunsmore family, brewers of Paolozzi Lager at their multi-award-winning Edinburgh Beer Factory.
The oil on paper study was sold for £23,750.
The purchase coincides with a competition, already being run by the Edinburgh Beer Factory, to design a ‘colourful and eye-catching’ mosaic for a 6ft x 3ft panel to be attached to the back wall of the brewery’s new ‘taproom.’ The winner, who will receive a cheque for £1,000, is due to be announced soon, with installation due in September. The design remit – very fittingly – was ‘to take inspiration from Eduardo Paolozzi’s mosaics at Tottenham Court Road Tube’.
The competition reflects the growing interest in the works of the Paolozzi, following his highly successful exhibition in Spring 2017 at the Whitechapel Gallery in London.
Paolozzi was the father of Pop Art. Born in the Leith area of Edinburgh (1924-2005), he grew up in the family’s ice cream and sweet shop, and it was the sweet papers and cigarette cards sold there which inspired his trail-blazing love for collages. Eduardo Paolozzi’s ethos behind his work was to find ‘the sublime in the everyday’.
Charlotte Riordan, Contemporary Art Specialist at auctioneers Lyon & Turnbull said, “We are delighted that Paolozzi’s design for the Central Line platform will be coming back to Scotland. In this unusual and colourful design, Paolozzi draws on his knowledge and understanding of popular culture and iconic symbolism. The concept united his abiding interest in the culture of mechanisation and his empathy with the tube station’s historic context and its geographical location. Having taught at the nearby Central School of Art in London in the Fifties, Paolozzi had retained a broad, deep-rooted and affectionate understanding of the local area and its diverse communities.”
Consumers can purchase Paolozzi Lager directly at www.edinburghbeerfactory.co.uk.
ENDS
Date: Friday, August 25th
Emanuele Barrasso
R&R Teamwork Ltd.
“The Cellar” 754 Fulham Road
London
SW6 5SH