Willy Gordon
Encyclopedia
Willy Gordon was a Swedish-Jewish sculptor and artist
. Gordon was born at Ringen in the Russian gubernia Courland
(present day Renge, Latvia
) and later emigrated with his family to Malmö
, Sweden
when he was seven years old. He studied sculpture
by Nils Sjögren, at the Royal University College of Fine Arts
in Stockholm
and later with Ossip Zadkine
in Paris
.
Gordon was active in Stockholm for a major part of his life, and there about a dozen of his public sculptures can be found. For example ”Wives” in the Fruängen
centre (1968), ”Living ore" in Karlavägen street in the district of Östermalm in Stockholm and "Flight with the Torah
" outside the Great Synagogue
, in Stockholm's inner city. In Malmö a monument created by Gordon exists at the cemetery to commemorate all the victims of the Holocaust.
Jussi Björling
that is exhibited at the Björling Museum in Borlänge
, Evert Taube
playing the lute (1990) at the Evert Taube terrace in Riddarholmen
or a sculpture of Nobel prize laureate Selma Lagerlöf
called The Crystal
of Pain
(Swedish: Smärtans Kristall) in Farsta
.
Gordon also created a monument in honour of Swedish diplomat
Raoul Wallenberg
in Lidingö
, an island outside Stockholm. Wallenberg is famous for saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.
square and is a controversial group of two modern sculptures that shows a naked male figure bearing a piece of meat on his shoulders before a recumbent female figure. The sculpture created a lot of controversy and was vandalised twice, the last time in December 2006.
Gordon also produced "The meeting" in miniature
in limited numbers. Some of these signed miniatures exist and are sold by specialised art
auction
houses.
He also donated a copy to Bommersvik
college in Sweden, where it is displayed in its art collection.
Many of Gordon's works such as ”Mötet” are highly stylised, influenced by Zadkine and also by other sculptors such as Eric Grate
and Henry Moore
.
Willy Gordon also created sculptures of a scientific motif such as crystal
s and molecules. For example he created the sculpture of a protein
molecule
: Carrier molecule, that depicts a protein chain.
n capital of Vilnius
for the purpose of honouring its Jewish culture.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. Gordon was born at Ringen in the Russian gubernia Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
(present day Renge, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
) and later emigrated with his family to Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
when he was seven years old. He studied sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
by Nils Sjögren, at the Royal University College of Fine Arts
Royal University College of Fine Arts
The Royal Institute of Art is an institution in Stockholm, Sweden for higher education in art, founded in 1735. The school was part of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, until 1978 when it was made independent. It is under the supervision of the Ministry of Education.-External links:*...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and later with Ossip Zadkine
Ossip Zadkine
Ossip Zadkine was a Belarusian-born artist who lived in France. He is primarily known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs.-Early years and career:...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Public sculptures
Fruängen
Fruängen is a part of Stockholm. The modern Fruängen is a suburb built in the early 1950s. All the streets are named after famous Swedish women like Agnes Lagerstedt, Anna Sandström, Karolina Widerström, Ellen Fries, Ellen Key, Elsa Beskow, Elin Wägner, Elsa Borg, Elsa Brändström, Eva Bonnier,...
centre (1968), ”Living ore" in Karlavägen street in the district of Östermalm in Stockholm and "Flight with the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
" outside the Great Synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, in Stockholm's inner city. In Malmö a monument created by Gordon exists at the cemetery to commemorate all the victims of the Holocaust.
Famous people
He also created statues of famous people such as the one for tenorTenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Jussi Björling
Jussi Björling
Johan Jonatan "Jussi" Björling was a Swedish tenor. One of the leading operatic singers of the 20th Century, Björling appeared frequently at the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City as well as at other major European opera...
that is exhibited at the Björling Museum in Borlänge
Borlänge
Borlänge is a locality and the seat of Borlänge Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 49200 inhabitants in 2011.- History :Originally Borlänge was the name of a tiny village, and the first historical information about it is from 1390. The village was insignificant up until about 1870...
, Evert Taube
Evert Taube
Evert Axel Taube was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians.-Biography:...
playing the lute (1990) at the Evert Taube terrace in Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen
Riddarholmen is a small islet in central Stockholm, Sweden. The island forms part of Gamla Stan, the old town, and houses a number of private palaces dating from the 17th century...
or a sculpture of Nobel prize laureate Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
called The Crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
of Pain
Pain
Pain is an unpleasant sensation often caused by intense or damaging stimuli such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting iodine on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone."...
(Swedish: Smärtans Kristall) in Farsta
Farsta
Farsta is a district in a borough with the same name in southern Stockholm, see Farsta . It is also a metro station on the Green line . The distance between central Stockholm and Farsta is 8 kilometers.-Sports:...
.
Gordon also created a monument in honour of Swedish diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish businessman, diplomat and humanitarian. He is widely celebrated for his successful efforts to rescue thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary from the Holocaust, during the later stages of World War II...
in Lidingö
Lidingö
Lidingö is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, located north east of central Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It is also the seat of Lidingö Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 44,000 inhabitants in 2011....
, an island outside Stockholm. Wallenberg is famous for saving tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Nazi Holocaust.
Controversy
Gordon got a lot of attention for his sculpture of "The meeting" also known as: Man with piece of meat - lying woman (Swedish: Man med köttstycke - liggande kvinna). This work is located in ÖstermalmstorgÖstermalmstorg
Östermalmstorg is a square in the district of Östermalm, Stockholm. It is known for its food market hall, Östermalmshallen, opened in 1889. Östermalmstorg was also the location of the first Åhléns City department store, opened in 1932....
square and is a controversial group of two modern sculptures that shows a naked male figure bearing a piece of meat on his shoulders before a recumbent female figure. The sculpture created a lot of controversy and was vandalised twice, the last time in December 2006.
Gordon also produced "The meeting" in miniature
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
in limited numbers. Some of these signed miniatures exist and are sold by specialised art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
houses.
He also donated a copy to Bommersvik
Bommersvik
Bommersvik is a Union college built by the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League and is situated outside the municipality of Södertälje in Sweden. Parts of the college grounds encompass a conference centre and recreational facilities that are extensively used by social democratic organizations...
college in Sweden, where it is displayed in its art collection.
Many of Gordon's works such as ”Mötet” are highly stylised, influenced by Zadkine and also by other sculptors such as Eric Grate
Eric Grate
Eric Grate , Swedish sculptor, painter and graphics artist.-Education:Eric Grate studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Stockholm between 1917 and 1920. Thereafter he undertook study trips to Germany, especially to Munich, and to Italy and Greece. He moved to Paris 1924 and stayed there for ten...
and Henry Moore
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore OM CH FBA was an English sculptor and artist. He was best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art....
.
Science
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
s and molecules. For example he created the sculpture of a protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
molecule
Molecule
A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
: Carrier molecule, that depicts a protein chain.
International recognition
In 1990 together with an architect he won a competition for a monument in the LithuaniaLithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n capital of Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
for the purpose of honouring its Jewish culture.
Publications
- Willy Gordon: Willy Gordon sculpture et dessins 1941-1951, catalogue, 24 p.
- Willy Gordon (autobiography) (edited by June Rose; designed by Willy's wife Mona Gordon), Meta Bokproduktion, 112 p. chiefly ill., ports. 21 x 21 cm. c1976. Hebrew University SYSNO: 2220000.
- Gordon, W. (1976). Willy Gordon. Järna: Meta Bokproduktion, ISBN 91-85522-00-7