Head

1980

© The Eduardo Paolozzi Foundation

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Sir Eduardo Paolozzi 1924–2005
Medium: Etching on paper
Dimensions: Image: 454 x 304 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Purchased 1982
Reference: P07682

Catalogue entry

P07682 Head 1980 [P07679- P07682]

Etching 17 7/8 × 12 (454 × 304) on paper 22 1/2 × 15 (572 × 381) watermarked ‘Arches FRANCE’ and ‘17’, printed by the artist with Michael Rand at the Royal College of Art, not editioned

Inscribed ‘Eduardo Paolozzi 1980’ and ‘A/P’
Purchased from the artist (Grant-in-Aid) 1982

These four prints are from a series of experimental etchings made between 1977 and 1980; not more than between five and ten copies of each have been printed. The images were drawn with drypoint on aluminium plates (which means they would not stand many printings without losing the burr and the quality of the drypoint line). In some, such as P07682 and P07681, Paolozzi was experimenting with pantographic distortion. He used a pantograph (a device usually used to scale drawings up) assembled wrongly to distort his original drawing by curving and elongating it. P07681 is printed by placing a fresh sheet over a newly-printed etching and running through the press again, i.e. by printing offset from another print.

Published in:
The Tate Gallery 1982-84: Illustrated Catalogue of Acquisitions, London 1986