About this artwork
Vulcan was the Roman god of fire and the blacksmith who forged weapons for the gods and heroes. He was lame, which is the reason he is aided by a support here. In Paolozzi's work, Vulcan (or his Greek counterpart, Hephaestus) is often seen as the archetypal sculptor. This impressive sculpture is in the Modern Two and reaches from the ground floor to the ceiling of the first floor. Vulcan is shown swinging his hammer and marching across the Great Hall. He is half-man and half-machine - a monument to the modern age.
Updated before 2020
see media-
artist:Eduardo Paolozzi (1924 - 2005) Scottish
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title:Vulcan
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date created:1998 - 1999
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materials:Welded steel
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measurements:730.00 cm (height)
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object type:
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credit line:Commissioned 1999 (with aid from the Patrons)
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accession number:GMA 4285
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gallery:
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depicted:
Eduardo Paolozzi
Eduardo Paolozzi
Of Italian descent, Paolozzi was born in Leith near Edinburgh. He studied in Edinburgh and London and spent two years in Paris from 1947, where he produced enigmatic, bronze sculptures reminiscent of those by Giacometti. During the same period he made a series of dada and surrealist-inspired...