Llew Summers - Body & Soul

Explore the profound artistry of Llew Summers, a quintessential figure in New Zealand's sculpture landscape. This beautifully bound hardback book, measuring 220 x 250 mm and featuring 200 pages, provides an insightful journey through the life and works of Summers. Renowned for his daring and sensual creations, Summers established himself as a prominent sculptor, defying the abstract norms of his time. In ‘Llew Summers: Body and Soul,’ author John Newton chronicles Summers’ evolution from a self-taught artist to a celebrated figure whose monumental works adorn public spaces across New Zealand. Immerse yourself in themes of nurture, nature, and sensuality showcased through idealized female forms in concrete and dynamic carvings in wood and marble. Following his transformative trip to Europe in the early 2000s, Summers incorporated spiritual imagery, displaying Christ and winged figures in his later works. This 2020 publication provides a comprehensive account of Summers' artistic journey, illustrated with over 200 photographs, including newly commissioned images that celebrate his legacy. Perfect for art enthusiasts and collectors alike, this volume honors the significance of public art and the extraordinary contributions of Llew Summers to New Zealand’s cultural heritage.

Author: John Newton Publisher: Canterbury University Press
Bind: hardback
Dimensions: 220 x 250 mm
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 21-08-2020

Llew Summers (1947-2019) was a rarity in the art world - a figurative artist in a scene dominated by abstract practices. ‘Llew Summers: Body and Soul’ depicts the work and life of one of New Zealand’s most recognisable sculptors, a man of great warmth and astonishing vitality, whose works are daring, sensual and provocative. John Newton takes us from Summers’ beginnings as a self-taught artist, through his relationships and family life, to his success as a highly visible sculptor with works found in public spaces throughout New Zealand. We follow Summers’ progression as an artist, a true independent, working outside the hierarchies of the art world. His early monumental works in concrete made him a public fixture, with themes of nurture and nature, sexuality and solidity seen in his idealised female forms. As he discovered carving in wood and marble, the work became more subtle and increasingly dynamic. From the early 2000s, following his first trip to Europe, religious imagery entered Summers’ work in ways that extended both his visual and thematic range, and introduced a more overtly spiritual element. His later career features depictions of Christ, angelic winged figures and large, ambitious works in bronze. Illustrated with more than 200 photographs, including newly commissioned images of Summers’ works, ‘Llew Summers: Body and Soul’is a joyful record of a life in sculpture and a testimony to the value of public art.