Summary

Edoardo Villa is one of South Africa's most respected sculptors. His creativity has been characterised by a disciplined work ethic encapsulated in his phrase, to work is to live'. At the age of 90 he still adds monumental pieces to his prodigious body of work. The book, conceived as a tribute to coincide with Villa's 90th birthday, is a rich visual document of his sculptural development over six decades. Lavishly illustrated with photographs of the contemporary works by Mario Todeschini, and a gallery of finely distilled historical images by Egon Guenther, the wealth of photographs not only provides the reader with both the full trajectory of Villa's evolving oeuvre, but also chronicles his life from his early beginnings in Bergamo right through to his 2005 landmark exhibition at Lanzerac in the Western Cape. The essays offer insights into how Villa forged a unique and productive oeuvre from the European and African sculptural influences which converged in both his life and his work. This book, with its generous array of pictures and careful analysis, will help ensure that his remarkable work becomes more widely known, both nationally and internationally.