We are thrilled to include this stunning work of art in our Spring auction. Sir Anthony Caro is one of Britains’ most distinguished artists. Known for his metal-smithed abstracted sculptures, Caro veered from his well known style to rediscover drawing and clay modeling in the summer of 1983, which resulted in a surprising collection of figurative works in the middle of his six decade career. This bronze, titled “Figure in Thought” created in 1987, is Concetta Branson, a professional model whom Caro sketched in the evenings at Triangle Workshop. He enjoyed this exercise so much that he sculpted her in clay the very next year. Drawing and modeling from life was a process Caro hadn’t enjoyed since his early academic career at the Royal Academy. Caro cast a series of seven life-size bronzes of Branson, each pose slightly different than the next. The poses were somewhat by chance because Caro focused on the process of creating art rather than the finished piece. Thus, he would drop handfuls of soft clay from a height and let them fall where they may on a platform. The rough and pitted surface invites us to consider the small crevices and shadows that make up the overall form. “Figure in Thought” is centered length-wise, facing forward with hips turned to the side, with a blue-green over black patina. It is listed in the Blume 10 volume Caro catalog raisonne, volume 8, #A-190. Though we known the name of the model, this faceless figure represents any woman and every woman in a relaxed moment lacking self awareness.
