LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-) § MAQUETTE FOR 'THE BULL', BULLRING BIRMINGHAM, 2003

MODERN MADE

Shaping The Natural World: Works From the Studio of Laurence Broderick

8 April 2024

Philip Smith

In April 2024, we were delighted to present an exceptional collection of works from the studio of Laurence Broderick that is testament to the artist's enduring commitment to the natural world in our MODERN MADE: Modern, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Design, Craft and Studio Ceramics auction.

Distilling figural and animal forms into fluid, organic curves, Broderick expresses not only his subjects’ likeness, but also articulates something of their personality and physicality.

This is all achieved through the expert manipulation of stone and bronze. Broderick tends to work with British stone, including English alabaster, Cornish soapstone, limestone from Hopton Wood and Ancaster and marble from Purbeck, Portsoy and Ledmore.

MODERN MADE: Modern, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Design, Craft and Studio Ceramics

Explore the Spring 2024 auction results

The artist has stated that he does not use preparatory drawings, instead allowing the intrinsic quality of his material to inform the appearance of his sculpture as he carves. His work is usually highly polished to emphasise the smooth lines of his subject’s form and to enhance the intrinsic hues of his medium. However, on occasion he also implements passages of unpolished stone, as can be seen in Nude with Long Hair (lot 273) and Dancer I (lot 272).

Broderick is best known for The Bull (2003), installed at The Bull Ring in Birmingham, and for the otters that recur across his work. Following a visit to the Isle of Skye in 1978 Broderick was enchanted by his first sighting of a wild otter and devoted much of his later career to capturing the creature’s playful agility. The artist is a passionate campaigner for wildlife conservation, and many of his sculptures depict endangered species.

LOT 279

LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-) | MAQUETTE FOR 'THE BULL', BULLRING BIRMINGHAM, 2003

signed, titled, and numbered AC/10 (to edge of base), bronze, mounted on circular bronze base, from the edition of 10 artist's casts
including base: 36cm high, 80cm wide (14 1/8in high, 31 ½in wide)
Sold for £6,300 incl premium

The collection represented the first of two selections of the last works available directly from the Broderick studio archive. It was offered in our Spring 2024 edition of MODERN MADE - an auction of Modern, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Design, Craft & Studio Ceramics - on 25 & 26 April at The Mall Galleries in the heart of London.

April 2024 Highlights by Laurence Broderick

Sold for £4,536 incl premium

LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-)

TEKO THE SWIMMING OTTER

Sold for £2,520 incl premium

LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-)

DOWNING CAT

Sold for £1,008 incl premium

LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-)

DANCER I

Sold for £8,820 incl premium

LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-)

EVE, 1996

Sold for £2,520 incl premium

LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-)

KOALA

Sold for £2,268 incl premium

LAURENCE BRODERICK M.R.B.S. F.R.S.A. (BRITISH 1935-)

SKYE THE OTTER

25 & 26 APRIL 2024

MODERN MADE: Modern, Post-War & Contemporary Art, Design, Craft and Studio Ceramics

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