Edoardo Villa

The collection of Ruth and Jerome Siegel, New York

Johannesburg, Strauss & Co, Important South African and International Art, 7 November 2016, lot 235

Cape Town, WALL Gallery, 2019

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Edoardo Villa’s 1969 sculpture Female Form stands as a testament to the artist’s mastery of abstract sculpture and his deep engagement with both European modernism and African art. Born in Italy and later settling in South Africa, Villa developed a unique artistic voice, synthesizing influences from classical traditions and contemporary movements. His 1969 work Female Form encapsulates these dynamics, presenting a stylized representation of the human body that is as much about form and texture as it is about symbolism and identity. This was an artist at the pinnacle of his artistic prowess; the following year he would be honoured with a retrospective at the Pretoria Art Museum and the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

Female Form is a bronze sculpture, a medium Villa favored throughout much of his career. Bronze, historically associated with classical sculpture, offers a degree of permanence and solidity that complements Villa’s interest in monumental forms. However, rather than embracing the realist traditions often associated with the medium, Villa’s abstraction of the female body in this piece aligns him more closely with the modernist tradition. The work does not seek to replicate the human figure in lifelike detail; instead, it reduces the body to a series of simplified, organic shapes. Villa’s approach to abstraction is informed by both his European education and his exposure to African artistic traditions, particularly in the way he distills the essence of the human form into geometric yet fluid lines.

One of the most striking features of Female Form is its surface texture and the use of patina. Patina refers to the thin layer that naturally develops on bronze over time due to oxidation, giving it a characteristic color and texture. However, patina can also be artistically applied or accelerated, allowing the sculptor to manipulate the color and finish of the piece. In Female Form, the patina plays a crucial role in enhancing the work's aesthetic and symbolic dimensions.

The patina on Female Form offers a deep, rich coloration, with hues of brown, green, and gold subtly blending across the surface. This fine patina adds a tactile quality to the piece, inviting viewers to appreciate the materiality of the bronze itself. The rich hues, combined with the smooth yet undulating surface, evoke the natural world, suggesting the organic connection between the human body and nature. The interplay of light and shadow on the textured surface, accentuated by the patina, also adds depth and complexity to the sculpture. In some areas, the patina appears to highlight the contours of the figure, creating a sense of movement and vitality. In others, it softens the harshness of the metal, imbuing the work with a sense of warmth and softness, which contrasts with the rigidity often associated with bronze.

Villa’s use of bronze and patina in Female Form also reflects his broader engagement with issues of identity and cultural synthesis. As an Italian-born artist living in South Africa, Villa was deeply influenced by the complex cultural dynamics of his adopted home. His work often reflects a fusion of European and African artistic traditions, and Female Form is no exception. The abstracted human form, with its minimalist yet powerful lines, can be seen as a reference to both classical European sculpture and the simplified, stylized forms found in traditional African art. The patina, in this context, serves not only as a decorative element but also as a metaphor for the passage of time, transformation, and the blending of different influences.

In conclusion, Edoardo Villa’s Female Form (1969) is a remarkable example of modernist sculpture, characterized by its abstract representation of the human body and its masterful use of bronze and patina. Through his careful manipulation of form and texture, Villa creates a work that is both aesthetically engaging and rich in symbolic meaning, reflecting his unique position at the crossroads of European and African artistic traditions. The fine patina, in particular, enhances the sculpture’s material beauty and invites viewers to contemplate the deeper connections between form, surface, and meaning.

An almost identical work, titled Standing Figure III is illustrated in Villa in Bronze by Chris de Klerk and Gerard de Kamper (Pretoria, 2012, p.86), and was exhibited Re/discovery and Memory: Sydney Kumalo, Ezrom Legae, Serge Alain Nitegeka and Edoardo Villa, at the Norval Foundation, Cape Town, in 2018.