Not on display
- Artist
- Germaine Richier 1902–1959
- Original title
- Le Diabolo
- Medium
- Bronze
- Dimensions
- Unconfirmed: 1675 × 740 × 930 mm
- Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Presented by Françoise Guiter, the artist's niece 1994
- Reference
- T07004
Display caption
In this sculpture the figure of a young woman appears to be caught within a web of metal wires which criss-cross in front of her body. These wires, which carry overtones of insect life, were a feature of Richier's sculpture in the 1950s. They reveal the artist's interest in the underlying structure of her figures and of their placement in the space they inhabit. At the same time they conjure up images of entrapment. Diabolo was a juggling game popular in France in the 1940s-1950s. Richier's depiction transforms this essentially light-hearted subject into one with sinister overtones. The game's devilish name contributes to this sense of danger.
Gallery label, August 2004
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