Euduardo Chillia (1924-2002) was a significant Spanish sculptor whose work is characterised by his craftsman’s focus on materials, space, line and shape. His sculpture varied form small iron pieces to large-scale sculptures made from granite. Born in the Basque countryside, he first studied architecture,before enrolling at the "Circulo de Bellas Artes" in Madrid. It was here that he began to sculpt, working with gypsum and clay. Chillida’s early sculptures were received well by critics. In 1949, he moved to Paris and began working in iron. He later settled in the Spanish town of Hernani, where he concentrated on abstract sculpture, concentrating on the balance between both fluid and geometric shapes.
His works were presented at several exhibitions and Biennales internationally. At the height of his career, in 1958, he was awarded the Grand Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale, which was followed by other awards, including the Kandinsky prize. Later, in 1980 the New York Guggenheim Museum showed a retrospective of his works which confirmed his place in the story of Modern Art. In the last few years of his artistic career, Chillida returned to his hometown, San Sebastián where he died in 2002.
