Lenton Parr

Lenton Parr ( born September 11, 1924 in Melbourne, † August 8, 2003 in Coburg, Victoria) was an Australian sculptor and art teacher.

Life and work

Lenton Parr was eight years in the Royal Australian Air Force before studying sculpture in Melbourne at the Royal Melbourne Technical College. As in the times of the Great Depression and during the Second World War, sculptures were also in post-war Australia found little demand for any recognition, so the Victorian Sculptors Society was formed in 1949, who wanted to spread the sculpture in Australia. This organization was later Lenton Parr President.

After studying Parr went from 1955 to 1956 to Britain, where he worked as an assistant to Henry Moore. In his early works, the influence of Moore can be seen, while monumental and abstract was in the 1960s. His works in that creative period, including his series Constellations, strengthened his artistic reputation. In the 1960s, his works have been streamlined, designed with steel plates and curved steel bands. His work with the design elements influenced other sculptors such as Reg Butler, Lynn Chadwick, Herbert Ferber and Julio González.

In 1967 seceded from the Victorian Sculptors Siciety the Centre Group of Five sculptors Centre or 5, in which Clifford Last, Inge King, Norma Redpath, Vincas Jomantas, Teisutis Zikaras, Julius Kane and Lenton Parr were members. The group tried to cooperate with architects to set up sculptures in public spaces and to present it in public collections.

The sculpture Agamemnon by Parr in 1968 was one of the first works was bought as modern art by an Australian art museum.

Lenton Parr was from 1974 to 1984 Director of the Victorian College of the Arts, which was renamed the Victorian College of Arts and Music in 2009, a faculty of the University of Melbourne. In his memory, the University Library in Lenton Parr Music, Visual and Performing Arts Library was named.