Lenton Parr
Born in Melbourne in1924, Lenton Parr’s career as a sculptor began after training as a fitter and turner with the Victorian Railways and undertaking military service in the RAAF. He enrolled at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 1951, studying sculpture before traveling to England where he worked in the studio of one of the most significant sculptors of the twentieth century, Henry Moore. The experience was a formative influence on Parr’s attitude towards sculpture, particularly the importance of abstraction.
Returning to Australia in 1957 Parr worked with an agricultural machinery manufacturer. The experience enhanced his mastery of industrial welding techniques and sheet-metal processes and reinforced his understanding of the idea of the machine as a major source of modern imagery and steel the material of the contemporary epoch.
Linear patterns defining internal space became a hallmark of his mature style, exemplified by the Planet series, which consist of intricate curvilinear patterns reminiscent of planetary orbits. His use of celestial titles is both an homage to the abstracted patterns of various stellar constellations and an evocation of the intricate orbital patterns of the planets. Astra, 1970, is a major work from this period, and was originally commissioned for the Melbourne Airport in Tullamarine.
Parr was a significant force in promoting contemporary sculpture both as a sculptor and as an arts administrator, as the Dean of Art and then the Director of the Victorian College of the Arts. He made a significant contribution to establishing the McClelland Gallery, acting as Chairman of McClelland Gallery during its formative years. He died in Melbourne in August 2003.
Lenton Parr AM is one of Australia’s most significant abstract sculptors. Born in Melbourne in1924, he initially trained as a fitter and turner with the Victorian Railways. After service in the RAAF, he decided to pursue a career as a sculptor. He enrolled at RMIT studying sculpture before traveling to England where he worked in the studio of Henry Moore. Working with Moore, one of the most significant sculptors of the 20th century, was a formative influence on Parr’s attitude towards sculpture, particularly the importance of abstraction.
Returning to Australia in 1957 Parr worked with an agricultural machinery manufacturer. This work experience enhanced his mastery of industrial welding techniques and sheet-metal processes as well as reinforcing the importance of the idea of the machine as a major source of modern imagery and steel the material of the contemporary epoch.
In the early 1960s Lenton Parr used welding equipment to create molten textured surfaces on his semi-abstract sculptures, a style typified by the Customs HouseScreen commissioned for a city building in 1966. However, by the end of the decade he completely abandoned these biomorphic forms for pure geometric abstraction. In works like Draco 1969 and Libra 1977which represent Parr’s mid-career style, he used metal ribbons and rods passing though and across plates of steel, to create geometric patterns and definite negative spaces rather than creating solid sculptural masses.
Linear patterns defining internal space became a hallmark of his mature style, exemplified by the ‘Planet Series’, which consist of intricate curvilinear patterns reminiscent of planetary orbits. His use of celestial titles is both an homage to the abstracted patterns of various stellar constellations and an evocation of the intricate orbital patterns of the planets. Astra 1970 is a major work from this period, and was originally commissioned for the Melbourne Airport.
Lenton Parr was a significant force in promoting contemporary sculpture both as a sculptor and as an arts administrator, as the Dean of Art and then the Director of the Victorian College of the Arts. He also made a significant contribution to establishing the McClelland Gallery, acting as an early Trustee and later the Chairman of McClelland Gallery during its formative years. He died in Melbourne in August 2003.
The commissioning by the Elisabeth Murdoch Sculpture Foundation of Tara 2003-4, developed from the last work completed prior to his death, allowed McClelland to commemorate Lenton Parr and his contribution to Australian sculpture.
