Eleanor Cardozo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eleanor Cardozo
Born	1965 London, United Kingdom
Occupation	Artist, sculptor
Notable work	Poise, Promise, Leap of Faith

Eleanor Cardozo is a talented British artist. She is famous for making beautiful sculptures out of bronze. She lives and works in Switzerland. In 2012, she created five amazing sculptures of gymnasts. These artworks were shown in Britain during the Olympic Games.

About Eleanor Cardozo

Her Early Life and Learning

Eleanor Cardozo was born in London in 1965. She was the second of ten children. Her family moved around a lot because her father was a Military Attaché. She lived in many different countries. These included Malaysia, Malawi, Ghana, Cyprus, Germany, and Gibraltar.

Eleanor and five of her sisters went to St Mary's School in Shaftesbury. Her mother taught all the children to play violin and piano. Her parents always encouraged them to enjoy music and art at home.

Eleanor's grandmother was also an artist at the Royal Academy. Several other people in her father's family were painters. Eleanor loved art and drawing from a young age. When she was 15, her art teacher told her to try sculpture too. She also trained in gymnastics during school. She even competed at a county level until she was 17 years old.

Eleanor studied sculpture at the City and Guilds of London Art School. She also learned how to paint portraits at the Cecil Graves school in Florence.

Her Amazing Art Career

In 2010, Eleanor showed many of her artworks at Harrods. This was a famous department store in London. The owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, invited her to display her work. The exhibition was very popular and stayed open for an extra month. Later that year, she showed her art at the Beau-Rivage Palace hotel in Lausanne. This hotel was right next to the Olympic Museum.

The International Olympic Committee suggested that Eleanor show her art at the London 2012 Olympics. David Cameron, who was the Prime Minister, encouraged her to work with the Olympic organizers. A gallery at Heathrow Terminal 5 then asked her to create a special sculpture. This was a three-meter tall gymnast sculpture called Promise. It was placed in the airport's main hall.

The sculpture Promise was dedicated to Frankie Jones. Frankie was a rhythmic gymnast for Team GB. She even performed in front of the sculpture for the BBC in January 2012. Another group, Youth with a Mission, asked Eleanor to make a second large sculpture. This one was called Poise. It was displayed outside Westminster Abbey. She also created a collection of bronze gymnasts to be shown inside the Abbey.

The Telegraph newspaper said her exhibition was "one of the most inspiring" Olympic-themed shows in London. The Hampstead Theatre also asked Eleanor to have a solo exhibition. This was to go along with their play, Chariots of Fire. During the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games, Eleanor's sculptures were seen by the public. They were displayed at Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Terminal 5, Kensington Palace Gardens, Bond Street, and Westminster Abbey.

In 2012, a company called Bedat & Co chose Eleanor as their special ambassador. They called her a "woman of calibre."

In 2013, her large sculptures were requested for public display in Knightsbridge. They were shown at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane, Wellington Barracks, and in Berkley Square. A famous person, Petra Ecclestone, asked Eleanor to make a full-body bronze sculpture for her. Eleanor also made sculptures for Cirque du Soleil and showed her art at the Henley Festival. She has been inspired by famous artists like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Donatello.

As of November 2012, her sculpture Poise stands in front of the Palais Wilson in Switzerland. The owner of the President Wilson Hotel bought it in 2012. He plans to keep it there for everyone to see.

Life Outside of Art

Eleanor Cardozo is married and has three children. Her husband works as a banker. They lived in London until 1998. After that, they moved to live in Switzerland.