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Christy Symington

@christysym

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Sculptor SE London
Commission: Ignatius Sancho sculpture Greenwich Park, London Collection: 9/11 Memorial Museum NYC
Member Royal Society of Sculptors

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Today 25 years on ... my sculpture 'Remembrance 911' (2001-2001) on display at 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Far right of the photo, with four other artworks, in the '25th anniversary Exhibition' display. Located off the entrance Foundation Hall with the Last Column piece. I'm sorry I don't have the other artists names and artwork titles and will add when I have them.

With a provenance of 11 exhibitions in the UK over the last 20+ years I am grateful my sculpture joined the permanent collection of the Museum in 2024 as its final home.

My thoughts to all on this day 🕊

Full story in my previous post on my page

Official Photos: David Starke / 9/11 Memorial & Museum

#sculpture #NYC #911memorial #911museum #neverforget
@royal_sculptors @pssa_sculpture taken in 9/11 Memorial Museum by @christysym

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a month ago

Today 25 years on ... my sculpture 'Remembrance 911' (2001-2001) on display at 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Far right of the photo, with four other artworks, in the '25th anniversary Exhibition' display. Located off the entrance Foundation Hall with the Last Column piece. I'm sorry I don't have the other artists names and artwork titles and will add when I have them.

With a provenance of 11 exhibitions in the UK over the last 20+ years I am grateful my sculpture joined the permanent collection of the Museum in 2024 as its final home.

My thoughts to all on this day 🕊

Full story in my previous post on my page

Official Photos: David Starke / 9/11 Memorial & Museum

#sculpture #NYC #911memorial #911museum #neverforget
@royal_sculptors @pssa_sculpture taken in 9/11 Memorial Museum by @christysym

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a month ago

Today 25 years on ... my sculpture 'Remembrance 911' (2001-2001) on display at 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Far right of the photo, with four other artworks, in the '25th anniversary Exhibition' display. Located off the entrance Foundation Hall with the Last Column piece.

With a provenance of 11 exhibitions in the UK over the last 20+ years I am grateful my sculpture joined the permanent collection of the Museum in 2024 as its final home.

My thoughts to all on this day 🕊

Full story in my previous post on my page

Official Photos: David Starke / 9/11 Memorial & Museum

#sculpture #NYC #911memorial #911museum #neverforget
@royal_sculptors @pssa_sculpture taken in 9/11 Memorial Museum by @christysym

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a month ago

Today 25 years on ... my sculpture 'Remembrance 911' (2001-2001) on display at 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Far right of the photo, with four other artworks, in the '25th anniversary Exhibition' display. Located off the entrance Foundation Hall with the Last Column piece. I'm sorry I don't have the other artists names and artwork titles and will add when I have them.

With a provenance of 11 exhibitions in the UK over the last 20+ years I am grateful my sculpture joined the permanent collection of the Museum in 2024 as its final home.

My thoughts to all on this day 🕊

Full story in my previous post on my page

Official Photos: David Starke / 9/11 Memorial & Museum

#sculpture #NYC #911memorial #911museum #neverforget
@royal_sculptors @pssa_sculpture by @christysym

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a month ago

337 works out of 1900+ worldwide … my drawing was longlisted in the initial selection for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Drawing Prize: Revealing the Human 2026. Happy Day! From these 337, up to 120 works are now shortlisted for the Prize exhibition at University of Hull Art Gallery 18 September to 18 October 2026. I didn’t make the final cut but was very happy to hear my work was acknowledged, specially as a sculptor. An honour worth sharing and I’ll take that! Thank you to the judges. Congratulations to the finalists that made it through.

RP Drawing Prize 2026 for portrait drawing in all styles and techniques by artists worldwide. Open to artists whose work explores people through drawing in all its forms. “The RP is seeking submissions from artists who observes and depict people, in whatever form that happens to be. We are keen to explore and expand the idea of what a portrait can be, and because drawing is such an immediate, direct response to the human, we’re hoping to be surprised by the variety of responses.” RP

Thanks to the artist members of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters for including my work in the initial selection. The distinguished panel of selectors for the second stage: John Bernasconi, Anthony Connolly, Caragh Savage, William Feaver

Prizes include:
The RP Drawing Prize – £5,000
Daler-Rowney Materials Prize – £500
@dalerrowney1783
The Almenara Collection Prize – a residential opportunity in Andalucía, southern Spain, awarded to an exhibitor whose work shows exceptional promise
almenaracollection

@royalsocietyportraitpainters @universityofhull @royal_sculptors @pssa_sculpture
@parkerharrisco

#RPDrawingPrize2026 #DrawingPrizeExhibition2026 #drawing #sculpture #revealthehuman by @christysym

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2 months ago

Today 1yr on ... our Dolphy RIP. Named after Eric Dolphy 'forgotten father of free jazz', a saxophonist. The eyes taking in home. He came to us teeeny (blue eyes) from our neighbours - a group of teenagers had knocked on their door and said that if they didn't take him, they would drown him :( crikey! ... our neighbours had us in mind and kindly gave him to us. 14 years of lurve as the other spirit in our abode (I thought would be longer). Little sad, but mostly to celebrate. I thought he may be a 'tiger' cat, but the first night (in the photos) he slept on the open alto saxophone, in its case, by his own choice. Strange choice, but that's what he did. With my teenager study book for sax music cos I played for a few years. And Tontxi (mi esposo) is a pianist, jazzzz and other, so he was our 'JAZZZZ' cat. Actually Dolphy lovvved listening to jazz, loved when Tontxi played the piano and would chill out - and would often walk the ivories and play his own tunes. Go Dolphy!

Dolphy came occasionally to my studio. I miss his 'zoom down the stairs' welcome when I open the front door. So I say hello to our fish now! That's good too. Not the same tho, is it.

I sometimes wonder if he absorbed away my breast cancer. You know how you think these things and animals having that ability to sense it. He had stomach cancer at the end, a troublesome, deep caring, few months. Here's to our animal companions and the joy and love they bring us. They say it comes in 3s - my brother, my mother ...

If you like jazz and haven't heard Eric Dolphy, put some on now!... yes NOW! ;))
Died young at 36, diabetic coma. MIngus said he was 'a complete musician'. A maestro in his short life and his influence in the jazz scene. Here's to JAZZ that resounds through our home, in several rooms at at time. What a gift, lucky me, that Tontxi plays daily and I learn a lot, as he has so many stories from the NYC jazz scene. They're mind blowing, he needs to write a book!

On that note, to our Dolphy, we would say to him. 'You're so BeaUtifuLLL' in singing intonation.

Sofa Alert! Kilim Refurb by @londonchaircollective

#Dolphy #EricDolphy #jazz #jazzcat #freejazz #freejazzmusic #petcompanions #catlife by @christysym

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a year ago

My sculpture 'Remembrance 911' (2001-2002) is now ON DISPLAY at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, NYC. I am honoured that the sculpture has joined the Museum's permanent collection and deeply grateful to the acquisitions committee for voting to acquire the sculpture, with special thanks to Jan Seidler Ramirez, Executive Vice President of Collections & Chief Curator and All of her wonderful Team in all areas of the process. Everything was handled utmost diligence, with the opportunity to input wishes on how the sculpture is displayed and its ongoing care in perpetuity in the collection. Thank you for securing its safe passage from my studio in London to the Museum and now on view @911memorial

If in NYC and can visit - The sculpture is located in a space just opposite the egress from the Historical Exhibition on the North Tower footprint, adjacent to the cathedral-like Foundation Hall where the Last Colum is removed. It is installed with four other wonderful artworks that I am proud to have mine alongside. They make the subtle point that, despite all the devastation from 9/11, creativity survived, and artists found various elegiac ways to acknowledge and commemorate what happened that day. The installation will be on view for two years or so and next year in 2026 it will be the 25th anniversary.

The sculpture has lived a life since 2002. In the following 20+ years it was selected and exhibited in a dozen exhibitions, both inside and outside is all weather elements. I believe it is the only sculpture from the UK in the permanent collection. Next year in 2026 will be the 25th anniversary.

Also our 25th wedding anniversary - Tontxi Vazquez - as we got married in May 2001 at City Hall by Brooklyn Bridge @tontxijavarchivo We flew to London a couple of days before and then apart for a year as a result of the events as he returned and lost work and I was studying. 'Together Apart' ... I also made a sculpture of that.

I share today with yesterday being the 24th anniversary. My thoughts with all affected by the 9/11 attacks.

@royal_sculptors @pssa_sculpture
#911Memorial #911Museum #NeverForget #sculpture #remembrance #permanentcollection #museum #NYC #newyork taken in 9/11 Memorial Museum by @christysym

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100 years on 🌟 Drawings by Delphine Augustine Toby, my Grandma, my Mother Lela's mother, dated from 1925-1927. In 1926, when she was 17, she had a drawing accepted by the Royal Academy. I was always told that, at the time, 'she was the youngest female to have a drawing accepted by the RA', I presume for the Summer Exhibition. She was at the Slade School of Art at the time of these drawings. William Coldstream was there and others whose names we came to know.

After the Slade, she got a job at Vogue magazine to do fashion drawings. She always dressed with style. A soft American accent, as she was from Connecticut and came with her parents to the UK when she was 11. She called me 'sweetie' when not by my name.

I was 15 when she died. Never really had a conversation about her time at the Slade, she didn't talk about it nor continue to draw and I didn't know to ask. Was just one of those things. I mostly knew Slade as a rock band!

In 1999, I was the exchange student for sculpture to the Slade, from the New York Studio School, USA. I was the first sculpture student in 10 years to do the exchange. Painters went every year and a Slade student went to NYSS. We had to sign a book every morning at the entrance. Leather bound, one for male and one for female. They looked old. It occurred to me they may have been around when my Grandma was there. Sure enough. I went to the archive and found her signature in 1926. It was special to find I went daily up the same stone steps that she did. I would love to have known more of her story.

Some years ago I contacted Vogue to see if they have any of her drawings. We didn't reach any result as she was not there many years and didn't reach having her drawings attributed to her. I have a great book of 'Fashion Drawing in Vogue' 1983 by Thames and Hudson with a Preface by David Hockney. 301 illustrations, 90 in colour. Different kinds of paper. lots of fabulous drawings and great colour reproductions. I love looking at it.

At the end of her life she had Alzheimer's and seems she threw away her drawings. A library may hold Vogue back issues, I'll see what I can find.

Reflections and all ...
#drawing #portraitdrawings #portrait by @christysym

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The eyes of sculptor Malvina Hoffman by sculptor @christysym

#art #sculpture #sculptor #artist #women #malvinahoffman by @christysym

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A memory roll .. studio, foundry, exhibition and various in between. Titled itself as Growing Up .. time flies. By preference would have chosen different music ..

Mix of photos by Tontxi Vazquez @tontxijavarchivo myself and Bronze Age Foundry
#sculpture #olaudahequiano #basquiat by @christysym

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Reposting my post in 2022 of my bronze sculpture of Basquiat. Made in 1998 in NYC and cast in bronze in 2018 in London. Some text revisions.

@christysym My ‘Head Inspired By BASQUIAT’ sculpture is in the Royal Scottish Academic Annual Exhibition 2022. Jean-Michel Basquiat had his first UK exhibition in Edinburgh at The Fruitmarket Gallery in 1984.

Bronze sculpture on found painted old scaffolding plank. Limited Edition of 5. This is a special hallmarked Bronzechain edition with Verisart and DACS. Red and Black base for elegua, a Yoruba orisha, the 'trickster' in the road. For Fadipe (1970), the Yoruba three primary colours are: black (dudu), red (pupa) and white (funfun). Yellow and blue edges with red make up the 3 primary colours of Western primary colours that Basquiat used in his paintings. Use of old scaffold plank recognises that Basquiat painted on found doors, fridges, tyres and other found items. The white patina is associated with purity peace and spirituality, new beginnings and hope and can be for mourning. It communicates transition from one spiritual state to a cleansed one.

Basquiat's mother was Puerto Rican and father was Haitian and he grew up and lived in Brooklyn and NYC. (22 December 1960 - 12 August 1988). Basquiat drew inspiration from various sources, including African art and spirituality, though his ancestry was not Yoruba.

@royal_scottish_academy til 12 June 2022. Now closed as this is a repost.

Bronze casting by Bronze Age foundry @bronzeagesculpture
Patina by Derek Bayley @derekbayley

For International Sculpture Day #isday #isday2022
#Basquiat #sculpture #bronze #bronzesculpture #portraitsculpture #LimitedEdition #artcollectors #Edinburgh #rsaannualexhibition #yoruba #elegua #trickster #redblack #puertorican #haitian #newyorkcity #brooklyn
@dacsforartists @verisart @royal_sculptors by @christysym

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I am grateful, excited, relieved! I have a studio in this Acme studio building since 2007. As a sculptor, the space, the local art community and local businesses, are invaluable.
Big THANKS to Acme Studios and all donors. Great news! see below 👇
@acme.art #sculpture

Reposted:
@acme.art HUGE thank you to The Julia Rausing Trust for donating £2.5m towards our campaign to save Acme Propeller Factory!

Their generous grant means that it’s now feasible for Acme to buy the building at the end of its current lease, providing security for the building’s artist community.

We’re extremely grateful to The Julia Rausing Trust for such an important show of support – this is a landmark moment for affordable studio provision across London.

Looking ahead, we’ll continue our fundraising efforts through 2025 to raise money for Acme Propeller Factory and to provide even more opportunities for artists living and working in the city.

#AcmePropellerFactory #LondonNeedsArtists #JuliaRausingTrust

📷 165 Childers Street, January 2024 © Acme taken in Acme Studios by @christysym

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