Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Artist of the day (African week), September 19: Michael Bolus, South Africa born British sculptor

Born in South Africa, Michael Edward Bolus (1934-2013) was an artist and teacher who settled in England in 1957 and studied at St Martin's School of Art from 1958 to 1962, studying under Anthony Caro. After a brief period living in Cape Town he returned to London in 1964 to begin a teaching post at St Martin's and the Central School of Art and Design.

As a student his earliest work was modelled or sculpted in stone, but Bolus soon abandoned these traditional techniques in favour of working with steel and aluminium, materials that allowed him to explore the notions of balance and the extension of form which had long interested him. For the New Generation show in 1965 he exhibited a series of polychromatic sculptures taking the form of abstract shapes cut out of sheet aluminium, placed flat on the ground or stood on edge.

In 1966 Bolus took part in the "Primary Structures" exhibition at the Jewish museum in New York. The same year he was given his first one man show in America at the Kornblee Gallery. In the 1970s his sculpture left the ground, becoming more fragmented and making use of lattice and grid-like constructions that defy gravity, such as Sculpture No. 3, 1973 and Untitled, 1984.

Bolus was part of a generation of sculptors inspired by the constructivist work made by Julio González and Pablo Picasso and continued by David Smith and Anthony Caro. The work of these sculptors rejected the plinth and asserted the work as part of the world rather than separate from it.

Bolus worked as an assistant to Anthony Caro throughout his career and was regarded highly for his ability to manipulate difficult materials such as Gold and Silver.

© 2018. All images are copyrighted © by Michael Bolus or assignee. The use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained.


Mr Michael Bolus

1959, Stone

1960, 1st Sculpture

1960, 2nd Sculpture

1960, 3rd Sculpture

1960, 5th Sculpture

1960, 6th Sculpture

1960, 10th Sculpture

1960, 11th Sculpture

1960, 12th Sculpture

1960,  4th Sculpture

1960, the 'Green' series

1962, 1st Sculpture

1962, 2nd Sculpture

1963, 1st Sculpture

1963, 2nd sculpture

1963, 5th Sculpture

1963, 6th Sculpture

1963, 8th Sculpture

1963, 10th Sculpture

1963, 11th Sculpture

1963, 13th Sculpture

1963,  3rd Sculpture

1963, Nenuphar

1963, Sculpture #11

1964, 2nd Sculpture - Bowbend

1964, 3rd Sculpture

1964,  Bowbend

1965, 3rd Sculpture

1965, 4th Sculpture

1965, 5th Sculpture

1965, 7th Sculpture

1966, 1st Sculpture

1966, 5th Sculpture

1967-68, 1st Sculpture

1967-68, 2nd Sculpture

1968, British sculpture

1968, No. 3

1969, 1st Sculpture

1969, 1st Sculpture

1969, Sculpture

1970, 1st Sculpture

1970, dunstable reel

1970, Green streamer

1970-71, 2nd Sculpture

1971, 2nd Sculpture

1971, Untitled

1973, 4th Sculpture

1974, Papabriar

1974, Untitled Sculpture No 3

1977, Battersea Park

1981, Untitled 5

1984, 2nd Sculpture

Forged

Untitled

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