Keith Calder is a renowned South African sculptor, since 1987.
He works with both the animal and human form and his bronzes range from miniature statues to monumental sculptures.
He is well known for his attention to detail in his “realistic” style and the power and uniqueness he portrays in his “stylized” style.
Sculptures by keith calder
Credentials
Exhibitions
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Keith Calder was born in 1959 in the small town of Cradock, South Africa.
From his youth, the life of this sculptor has been inextricably linked to wilderness and its creatures, a link that forms the essence of his sculptures.
On completing school in Johannesburg, he undertook a diploma in nature conservation and spent the next ten years in that field, working throughout Southern Africa. Whilst working in the northern Kruger Park he contracted malaria. During his recuperation he started to explore his interest in sculpture. He spent a month sculpting and modeling in clay. That month marked a year of transition for him as he vacillated between his commitment to conservation and a possible career in the arts. He spent much of his free time honing his skills as a sculptor.
In 1987 the decision to leave the bush and become a sculptor was made easier when he received his first important commission from St Stithians College in Johannesburg: a herd of nine elephants in bronze (3m x 1m x 0.5m) symbolizing the college motto "one and all".
Calders work ranges from miniatures to life-size to monumental sculptures and is well represented in institutions and corporations throughout South Africa. His style is instantly recognizable by its realism and his ability to capture the character of his subjects stems from his intimate knowledge of them.
"To be able to draw upon the power and beauty of wild things and portray them in sculpture is a great privilege for me. Perhaps they symbolize our purer selves or jolt our deep seated ancestral memory of when we once lived closer to the earth"
In 2002 Calder began to search for an original way to sculpt the human and animal form. He extended lines, expanded planes, reduced texture, detail and sentimentality while still maintaining a loyalty to natural form.
The sculptures that emerged are difficult to define stylistically. There are elements of the abstract, cubism and futurism. Some have an almost stylized art deco feel.
He currently lives in Cape Town with his wife and 3 children.
St Stithians College JHB
Elephant herd
Life-size cheetah pair
Dik-dik Pair
Fish eagle and tiger fish
First National Bank, Bank City
Life- size leopard
Caracal and guinea fowl
Klipspringer
Horus
De Beers Industrial Diamond Division
Life-size Herd of 7 kudu running through water
St Johns College
Life-size The Eagle and The Boy
Dimension Data
Fish eagle: DD proam trophy
Cricket and golf figurines
Peregrine falcon
Pretoria Teachers Training College
One third life-size; elephant cow and calf
Botswana Embassy Stockholm
Elephant and skull
Swaanswyk: Private collection
Life-size swans
Klipspringer pair
Impala pair
Boardwalk Casino Port Elizabeth
Life-size Two dolphins and mermaid
Grandwest Casino Cape Town
Armillary and seals
Bishops College Cape Town
"The Boy" Life-size
Pam Golding Properties
Balance Three stainless steel acrobats. Height 2.3m
Bishopscourt
Outdoor private collection.
Pezula Country Club Knysna
Sibaya Casino Umhlanga
Zulu stick fighters 6mx5m
Gold Souk Dubai
"Gold Tree" 6m
2010 Fifa World Cup
Footballer sculptures
FNB Stadium, Gauteng
4m "Penalty"
“The Seal Fountain”
6 life size Cape Fur Seals
Boardwalk Casino- Port Elizabeth
Klaas Stuurman and Dawid Stuurman
Life size
National Heritage Project
Grandwest Casino Cape Town
“Armillary and Seals” 5m x 6m