Llew Summers 1947-2019

LLEW SUMMERS

(1947 - 2019)

 

Llew Summers, who was based in Christchurch, is known for his distinctive sculptures of the human form. His monumental sculptures in bronze, concrete, marble and stone, are highly visible in public spaces throughout New Zealand.  Since his death in 2019, ARTIS has continued to represent Summers - with available editions that have been released.    

 

Summers’ large bronze work, ‘Butterfly’, was purchased by Auckland Botanical Gardens as a permanent placement in 2007. His figures have a remarkable sense of lightness, movement and harmony, despite their size. 

 

The book titled ‘Llew Summers: Body and Soul’ by John Newton , was published in 2020. This book covers the work and life of one of New Zealand’s most recognisable sculptors, a man of great warmth and astonishing vitality, whose works are daring, sensual and provocative.

John Newton takes us from Summers’ beginnings as a self-taught artist, through his relationships and family life, to his success as a highly visible sculptor with works found in public spaces throughout New Zealand. We follow Summers’ progression as an artist, a true independent, working outside the hierarchies of the art world. His early monumental works in concrete made him a public fixture, with themes of nurture and nature, sexuality and solidity seen in his idealised female forms. As he discovered carving in wood and marble, the work became more subtle and increasingly dynamic.

 

From the early 2000s, following his first trip to Europe, religious imagery entered Summers’ work in ways that extended both his visual and thematic range, and introduced a more overtly spiritual element. His later career features depictions of Christ, angelic winged figures and large, ambitious works in bronze. Illustrated with more than 200 photographs, including newly commissioned images of Summers’ works, ‘Llew Summers: Body and Soul’ is a joyful record of a life in sculpture and a testimony to the value of art.

 

“What’s important to me is to get a balance between the physical and the spiritual in life. We’re given a soul and we’re given a body. Sculpture is a nice balance because works can be made which are deep and meaningful, but they require your physical body to produce them. Works must have soul, rather than being merely clever or smart".

Summers has been represented in ARTIS since 2012 and has participated in The Auckland Art Fair and numerous ‘Selection Shows’ at ARTIS. His work is held in corporate and private collections throughout New Zealand and in many countries overseas. Awards include the BNZ Art Award and the BP Art Award in the 1980s and the Arts Excellence Award (Community Trust, Christchurch) in 1997.