Independent Group

• However, his work crossed a range of creative styles including paper collage, lithography, silk screen, textiles, murals and ceramics.
• Paolozzi’s influence on the 20th century artworld was immense and he helped shape several art movements with his unique insights.
• For this work Paolozzi is considered an early pioneer of pop art and is often called the father of British pop art.
• This exhibition is a testament to the breadth of his work and a true celebration of one of Britain’s greatest artists.

Paolozzi the pop artist

• Paolozzi was appointed as a teacher at the Central School of Arts and Crafts from 1950 to 1955.
• This approach can be seen in one the show’s highlights, the “tear sheets” in Take-off, one of the original 45 collages from his Bunk Pop Art series.
• There is an ongoing debate about whether these collages were the first truly pop art works or simply pieces in Paolozzi’s many scrapbooks that were categorised after the pop art movement had been defined.

Silk screen printing as a new art form

• Paolozzi’s exploration and use of silk screen print making techniques as an art form was ahead of other contemporary artists such as Andy Warhol, who latterly was exhibited beside him at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1968).
• One of the most striking examples of his silk screen work in the exhibition is As is When (1965).
• Paolozzi exploits the unique colour separation properties of silk screen printing and includes quotes from the Viennese philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s writing.

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Blane Savage does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.