Lynn Chadwick Signed Prints & Originals

Biography for Lynn Chadwick

1914 - 2003

Lynn Russell Chadwick was born in London on 24 November 1914. After attending the Merchant Taylor School and a stay in France, Lynn Chadwick worked for several London architect’s practices between 1933 and 1939. At that time Lynn Chadwick focused on techniques of draughtsmanship and watercolour as well as oil painting.

During the Second World War Lynn Chadwick served a stint as a land labourer before volunteering as a Royal Navy pilot and serving between 1941 and 1945. On his return to London, Lynn Chadwick began to experiment with mobiles and earned a living, not unsuccessfully, as a freelance designer until 1952.

Collaboration with the architect Rodney Thomas proved a formative influence on Lynn Chadwick and from 1951 Lynn Chadwick received commissions for sculpture. Lynn Chadwick had a solo show at Gimpel Fils in 1950.

In 1952 Lynn Chadwick produced his first lithograph; Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Figures’.

For his figures, Lynn Chadwick mainly used pieces of iron welded together, which, as mobiles, are reminiscent of Calder’s work but as stabiles filled with concrete stand on long legs and resemble a cross between abstract constructs and figurative skeletal beings. As illustrated in his lithographs; Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Study for Sculpture’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Winged Figure’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘The Guards’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Sculptural Forms’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Single Figure’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Standing Figure’.

Lynn Chadwick achieved instant recognition in the 1950s when his objects were awarded numerous prizes (Venice 1956, Padua 1959, Lugano 1960) and were shown at exhibitions of international stature (1952 and 1956 Venice Biennales).

In the mid 1960’s Lynn Chadwick also produced some abstract lithographs; Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Moon Series A’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Untitled Moon Series B’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Abstract Composition’.

Lynn Chadwick received commissions for more monumental sculptures, gradually transforming his rough, often aggressive-looking animal figures into softer, even more sentimental compositions with anthropomorphic features as illustrated in; Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Black Standing Figure’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Standing Figures’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Two Standing Figures’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Two Figures in a landscape’.

While continuing to do standing figures, Lynn Chadwick turned increasingly often to recumbent or seated pairs of figures. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Seated Woman’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Two seated Figures’ 1971. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Sitting Figures’ 1971. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Seated Figure’ 1971. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Anlin’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Two Seated Figures’ 1973. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Seated Figures’ 1973. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed, ‘Seated Figures in Green’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Reclining Figures 1’. And; Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Reclining Couple’.
At home in Lypiatt Park, Gloucestershire, Lynn Chadwick established a sculpture park of his own.

Long since a Commander of the British Empire (1964), Lynn Chadwick was also made an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1985. Although his work was in its heyday in the 1950s, Lynn Chadwick continued to develop his figures within the context of his material idiom until the century closed.

Lynn Chadwick continued developing his lithographs, introducing waves and stripes of colour in the early 1970’s with; Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Two Seated Figures on a Blue Background’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Seated Figures’ 1972 (brown Stripe). Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Reclining Figure on a Green Wave’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Hommage a Picasso’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Hammacher’. Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Seated Figures’ 1972 (green stripe). Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘Green Pyramid’. And; ‘Lynn Chadwick, print, signed ‘two Seated Figures on Blue Stripes.’

By the time Lynn Chadwick died in Stroud, Gloucestershire on 25 April 2003, he was one of the best-known sculptors of the post-war era.