Reg Butler (1913-1981)

Small head showcases Butler’s propensity for the human form. Exploring the dichotomy between sensuality and brutality, figures are often seen suspended on wire so that they hang in space, dissociated with the ground. Butler relished in the fragmentary, preferring to omit significant parts of the body to create a more expressive image of the figure, as seen in the present work, where only the head and neck remain. Executed circa 1953, the work marks a pivotal moment in the artist’s career, at a time when Butler won the international competition to create a monument dedicated to the Unknown Political Prisoner, thereby firmly establishing his reputation as one of Britain's leading sculptors.