How Cold War aircraft and wartime bombers shaped a sculptor's abstract vision
In short: Sculptor Richard Deacon explores how his lifelong fascination with aviation and the tactile construction of historic aircraft informs his large-scale abstract work. This look inside his studio reveals the surprising connections between military machinery and his artistic process.
Richard Deacon, a Royal Academician, draws creative inspiration from the physical properties of objects, including the riveted skins and basket-like internal structures of vintage aircraft. His interest in aviation began in childhood, influenced by his father's service as a Royal Air Force pilot during the Second World War. His father flew various bombers, most notably the Short Sunderland, a massive flying boat capable of operating on both land and water.
Growing up in the 1960s, Deacon was deeply aware of the nuclear threat facing Britain, which solidified his interest in Cold War icons like the Avro Vulcan. This background in aeronautical engineering—specifically the method of building forms from the inside out—is reflected in his own abstract sculptures, such as his 1983 piece For Those Who Have Eyes and his 1997 work titled Eight.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Richard Deacon RA| Parallel Lives: RA Artists and the IWM Collection
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