Beckett, bikes, and the Biennale: The remarkable story of Hilary Heron, the trailblazing sculptor and model compared to Eileen Gray
She travelled around post-war Europe on a motorbike and lived with Samuel Beckett in Paris
Hilary Heron varnishing Crazy Jane III (1958) at IELA 1958. Image courtesy of Estate of Hilary Heron
Once in a blue moon, a photograph encapsulates a particular moment – leaving the story behind it suspended in time. The iconic picture of a sailor kissing World War II goodbye in Times Square in 1945 is one of them.
But my own favourite is a shot of an elegant young woman, poised as she appears to put the finishing touches to a giant metal sculpture. The image is enigmatic: the glamorous figure with high heels, a fall of Rita Hayworth hair and a fashionable Dior-style New Look skirt is dwarfed by a six-foot-six sculpture in welded sheet metal, fabricated through hard, dirty work.
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