Tony Cragg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir
Tony Cragg
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Cragg in 2016
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| Born | 9 April 1949 Liverpool, England, UK
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| Nationality | German and British |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Spouse(s) | Tatjana Verhasselt |
| Awards | Turner Prize (1988) Grand Cross 1st Class Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2012) |
| Elected | Royal Academy |
Sir Anthony Douglas Cragg (born in Liverpool on April 9, 1949) is a famous sculptor. He has both British and German nationality. Since 1977, he has lived in Wuppertal, Germany.
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Tony Cragg's Early Life and Art Training
Tony Cragg was born in Liverpool, England. His father worked as an aerospace engineer. After high school, Tony first worked in a lab.
He then decided to study art. From 1968 to 1970, he went to art college in Cheltenham. He studied painting at the Wimbledon College of Arts in London until 1973. That same year, he started studying sculpture at the Royal College of Art in London. He finished his master's degree in 1977.
In 1977, Tony moved to Wuppertal, Germany. His first wife was from there. He also found affordable art studios and people looking for new artists. He was very interested in how important sculpture was in Germany.
Tony Cragg is currently married to artist Tatjana Verhasselt.
Tony Cragg's Art Career
Tony Cragg's early artworks often used objects he found. He would arrange these discarded materials into new art pieces.
From the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, he made sculptures from many different items. He would arrange them into shapes or colorful pictures on floors and walls. For example, his 1975 piece called Stack used many found objects. He often put these pieces together based on their colors and shapes. This created larger images.
In 1981, he created a well-known early work called "Britain Seen from the North." This piece was made from many colorful scraps of different materials. He put them together on a wall to form a picture. The artwork shows the outline of Great Britain. It is turned sideways, so northern Britain is on the left. A figure, representing Cragg himself, looks at his home country. This piece is now part of the Tate art collection.
In the early 1980s, Cragg started focusing more on individual objects. He began to explore different materials. He worked with wood, plaster, stone, fiberglass, and metals like bronze. During this time, his art was shown in many important galleries. These included the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London.
In 1988, Tony Cragg won the Turner Prize. This is a very important art award in London. He also represented Britain at a big art show in Venice, Italy. From 1988 to 2001, he was a professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf art school.
Developing New Art Forms
Throughout the 1990s, Cragg developed two main types of sculptures. These are called "Early Forms" and "Rational Beings."
The "Early Forms" explore how everyday containers can change shape. He takes simple objects like bottles or chemistry beakers. He then stretches and twists them. This creates new, flowing shapes. These shapes often look organic, like parts of a body or cell.
The "Rational Beings" often look like organic shapes. They are made from materials like carbon fiber. These sculptures start as drawings. Cragg then turns them into 3D forms. He does this by stacking many circular or oval discs. He glues them together and covers them.
Tony Cragg's sculptures are now often shown outdoors. He uses materials like bronze, steel, stone, wood, and glass. He has also returned to his first love, which is drawing.
After Brexit, Tony Cragg became a German citizen. He said he found his life in Germany. He wanted to avoid any future problems because of his nationality.
Waldfrieden Sculpture Park and the Cragg Foundation
The Cragg Foundation is a group that supports art and culture. It was started by the Cragg family in 2005. The foundation runs the Waldfrieden Sculpture Park.
This park is about 25 acres and is in Wuppertal, Germany. It has a main house and two other buildings for art shows. The park opened in 2008. It displays about 40 outdoor sculptures. These include works by Tony Cragg and other famous artists. The park also hosts temporary exhibitions, music, and talks.
Awards and Recognition
Tony Cragg has received many important awards for his art.
- In 1988, he represented Britain at the Venice Biennale. He also won the Turner Prize that same year.
- In the early 1990s, he received the Chevalier des Arts Lettres award. He also became a Royal Academician in London in 1994.
- In 2001, he received the Shakespeare Prize.
- In 2002, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He also won the Piepenbrock Prize for Sculpture.
- In 2007, he received the Praemium Imperiale for sculpture from Japan.
- Since 2010, he has received more honors. These include the Artist's Medal of Honor from Russia in 2012. He also received the Grand Cross 1st Class Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2012.
- In 2014, he was given honorary citizenship of Wuppertal.
- In 2016, he was made a Knight Bachelor. This means he can be called "Sir" for his contributions to art and good relations between the UK and Germany.
Gallery
See also
In Spanish: Tony Cragg para niños
- New Forms (sculpture), Houston, Texas
- Runner (sculpture)
