This unique bronze was made in Paris in 1949 on a two-year stay, during which Turnbull was confronted with some of the most advanced art of the pre- and post-war years. It was here he met artists such as Alberto Giacometti, and Constantin Brancusi. ‘Aquarium’ is one of a number of table-top sculptures with flat bases and thin linear elements growing out of them. The impact of Giacometti’s pre-war, surrealist works is plain to see, but Turnbull creates something new and unique. The fish-like forms perched on top of their thin pedestals can also be read as arrows, pointing out the direction in which they are swimming. Turnbull was fascinated by the way that schools of fish moved through the water in unison, each at their different levels.