Lot 224

Michal Gabriel (1960) AN ANIMAL

In his legible work, Gabriel uses new modern methods, which are not, however, completely divorced from classical sculptural starting points. Within the individual works, one can observe a mutual connection when he creates concepts of sculptures that form, for example, a group of seven beasts or several stylized walking figures. Not only within the cluster of labyrinthine sculptures but also quite individually, the works exude movement and vitality. In the early 1990s, Gabriel draws nature as an element into his sculptural play; however, his aim is not some kind of ecologizing appeal, but an understanding of nature as a structural entity that can be used in further innovations of actual sculpture. The very theme of animals permeates the artist's work. The offered sculpture is a part of the author's sculpture Pack of several sculptures exhibited in the Aspect gallery in Brno, which represents feline beasts made of white laminate with embedded acorn caps. For the artist himself, working with the placement of the sculpture and relating it to the space is a key aspect of the final appearance of the sculpture. Michal Gabriel, Galerie Aspekt, Brno, 2013.
The artist is represented in the collections of several important institutions such as the National Gallery in Prague, the Alš Gallery in South Bohemia, and the Museum of Art in Olomouc. Since 1988, several dozen solo and group exhibitions have been held.