WORK OF THE WEEK: Paul Mount, The Erl King, 2008

Paul Mount
The Erl King, 2008
Bronze
169 x 35.5 x 35.5 cm
66 ½ x 14 x 14 in.

Paul Mount always had great interest in totemic forms, which is reflected in The Erl King, currently sited in the Sculpture Park. At its peak, a form reminiscent of a crown is indicative of the work's title. It is in reference to the Erlking, a sinister elf, or 'king of the fairies', in European folklore and mythology.

Mount pioneered sculptural abstraction in the 20th Century, and was renowned for his ability to integrate futurist, geometrical forms with the material sensitivity of African sculpture.

Paul Mount was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, in 1922. After studying at the Paignton School of Art, he attended the Royal College of Art until 1941, when he was called up for war service. In 1946, he returned to the Royal College of Art. His practice was impacted by his move to Nigeria in 1955, where he was employed to set up the art department at a Technology College in Lagos. Here, he experimented with traditional Nigerian materials, including iroko and ebony, and was deeply influenced by tribal sculpture of the region. In 1962, Mount returned to England where he settled near St Just, Cornwall.

The New Art Centre has shown Paul Mount’s work for many years, with his first solo exhibition at the gallery on Sloane Street in 1978. From this point, Mount had 5 further solo shows with the New Art Centre, his work also being consistently shown at Roche Court Sculpture Park.

He has always worked closely with architects and has been involved in the following commissions: The Spirit of Bristol (1968) in St. James’ Square, Bristol; works at The British Steel Corporation, London, and The Cabinet Offices in Accra, Ghana. Paul Mount’s work is held in several major public collections, including the Harlow Art Trust; Plymouth Art Gallery; Exeter University; Bristol City Council; Cornwall County Council; Falmouth Art Gallery and the Department of the Environment.

Form has always been an integral part of Paul Mount's practice, as he remarked 'whether it’s in sculpture, design, music, architecture or painting'.