Eduardo Paolozzi

Scottish, 1924-2005. Eduardo Paolozzi is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of Pop Art with large-scale figurative sculptures, prints, and collages made from found objects being his most influential mediums and methods. Born on March 7, 1924 in Leith, United Kingdom to Italian immigrants, he was sent to Fascist summer camps in Mussolini-era Italy as a boy. He was interned by the British government when Italy became involved in World War II, an experience which had a lasting impact on Paolozzi. He was a founder of the Independent Group in 1952, which is regarded as the precursor to the mid-1950s British and late 1950s American Pop Art movements. Over the following decades, Paolozzi enjoyed widespread success, including being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, and numerous public art commissions. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Tate Gallery in London, among others.