Anthony Caro 1924–2013
British sculptor Anthony Caro was born in New Malden, Surrey in 1924. Trained at the Royal Academy Schools in London, Caro collaborated closely with sculptor Henry Moore, assimilating modernist principles while honing his craft. In 1963, Caro exhibited revolutionary abstract sculptures at the Whitechapel Gallery, painted and grounded directly on the floor, challenging norms and helping to pave the way for three-dimensional art's subsequent development.
Employing diverse materials, including steel, bronze, silver, and wood, Caro's works were showcased in prestigious venues like the Tate Gallery (now Tate Britain) in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He was knighted in 1987, awarded the Praemium Imperiale for Sculpture in Tokyo in 1992, and received the Order of Merit in 2000.
Caro's influential teaching career in London at St. Martin's School of Art (1953-1981) fostered considerable innovation in sculpture. He likewise nurtured generations of artists with initiatives such as the Triangle Arts Trust. In addition to evolving through various artistic phases, from abstract to figurative, Caro's work extended to architecture, most notably, as a co-designer of the London Millennium Footbridge. Caro passed away in 2013 at the age of eighty-nine, leaving a lasting legacy that continues to shape sculpture worldwide.
