Dimensions: object: 2238 x 879 x 854 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Reg Butler | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is Reg Butler’s "Working Model for ‘The Unknown Political Prisoner’," held at the Tate. It's a striking sculpture—almost architectural in its skeletal form. What do you see in this piece that I might be missing? Curator: It evokes a strange, haunting beauty, doesn't it? For me, it's like a futuristic ruin, a monument to a forgotten ideal. The stark geometry against the roughly hewn base creates a tension, a kind of precarious balance. Editor: Precarious is a good word for it! It feels fragile and strong at the same time. Curator: Exactly! It's that duality that makes it so compelling, don't you think? It feels incredibly poignant. Editor: Absolutely. I'll never look at a wire sculpture the same way again.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/butler-working-model-for-the-unknown-political-prisoner-t02332
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Butler's maquette was the winning entry in the international competition for a monument to 'The Unknown Political Prisoner'. After his original maquette was severely damaged, Butler made two replicas. This work was made between 1955 and 1956 and represents Butler's vision of a monument to 'The Unknown Political Prisoner' in its most fully developed form. Four times larger than the maquettes, it was welded from pieces of steel forged by the artist. It includes details such as the ladder-like structure which climbs one of the legs of the tower. Several leading Germans, including the mayor of Berlin were keen to see the monument built in West Berlin, although this ambition was never realised. Gallery label, August 2004
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