Anthony Caro

Anthony Caro (London, 1924) started out in sculpture in 1946 after studying engineering. He studied at the Royal Academy in London and worked as assistant to Henry Moore from 1951 to 1953. Caro inherited all his creative sources from the Russian Constructivists, Giacometti, Picasso’s sculptures, Julio González and David Smith, the first sculptor to introduce welded iron sculpture in the United States. Smith’s decisive influence was of great importance in the development of Caro, who became acquainted with his work during a visit to the United States in 1959 and thereafter gave up traditional sculpture in metal in order to construct abstract works using industrial materials. On his return, Caro took Moore’s advance towards total abstraction to its conclusion, dispensing with figurative references and drawing the maximum expressive power from industrial materials such as beams, aluminium tubes and steel plates, preferring assemblage to sculpting or modelling. This project is the first presentation of Anthony Caro’s work by a Spanish museum.