Even Gods have Dwelt in Woods
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About this artwork
This work refers to a long-running battle that Finlay was involved in with Strathclyde Regional Council. The carving was first purchased by the Scottish Arts Council and subsequently 'kidnapped' by the artist's associates. It was then inscribed on the reverse with the names of the 'guilty' who were involved in the feud about the rateable status of a Garden Temple on the artist's property. The piece is one in a series of 'heroic emblems' in which Finlay combines a motto and an image. The line is from Virgil and the picture is based on a photograph of the American heavy cruiser 'Minneapolis' in camouflage.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925 - 2006) Scottish
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title:Even Gods have Dwelt in Woods
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date created:1976
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materials:Stone
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measurements:23.00 x 28.10 x 7.40 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Scottish Arts Council Collection; presented 1997
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accession number:GMA 4180
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Ian Hamilton Finlay
Ian Hamilton Finlay
Finlay was born in the Bahamas to Scottish parents, who returned to Scotland when he was a child. He attended Glasgow School of Art for a brief period but began his career as a writer of 'concrete poetry'. Finlay's work investigates the power of images and symbols, particularly those associated...