






Tony Cragg
Points of View
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| Editor(s) | Published on behalf of the city of Dessau-Roßlau by Ruben Rebmann |
| Author(s) | Ruben Rebmann |
| Design | Christine Kelle |
| Size | 22 x 26,5 cm |
| Cover | Hardcover |
| Pages | 112 |
| Illustrations | 35 |
| Language(s) | German |
| ISBN | 978-3-96912-246-4 |
The biomorphic and monumental sculptures of British sculptor Tony Cragg (born 1949, lives in Wuppertal) impress with their virtuosity and their dynamic appearance. They might even evoke movement, as if they are still becoming. Often exhibited outdoors, and in church or museum contexts, they blend into their surroundings like organic entities. Since the 1960s, Cragg’s search for sculptural form manifested through methods like layering and stacking existing materials, rearrangement, and assemblage. He now employs both traditional and new technologies and materials, yet his sculptures have to be seen in clear contrast to normative, repetitive industrial production. This book documents Cragg’s 2025 exhibition in the Anhaltische Gemäldegalerie Dessau.
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