Forged in steel, ‘En el Limite III (In the Limit III)’ (1998) is an enduring example of Eduardo Chillida’s late oeuvre. The work features six organic sculptural elements that emerge from a flat steel base, varying in height, mass and shape. The composition simultaneously recalls architectural fragments inherent to the Basque Country, where stone houses populate the hillside, as well as a natural landscape.
Here, Chillida explores the concept of ‘the limit’ or ‘the border,’ which he defined as a point or place beyond dimensions—similar to the meeting point of sea and sky on the horizon—where two elements come together to create a boundary that is both real and imagined. The term first appeared in Chillida’s practice in 1958 and evolved over the following decades to include both intimately scaled sculptures that carry a calligraphic lightness as well as monumental forms that convey a greater sense of solidity.
About the artist
One of the most celebrated Spanish artists of the 20th Century, Eduardo Chillida was born in 1924 in San Sebastián and produced his first works in 1947. He lived in France for two years (1948 – 1950), where he had his first exhibition and undertook his formative training in sculpture. He then returned to the Basque Country, settling in Hernani, where he mastered working with iron. His preoccupations surrounding materiality and space soon began to draw him to work with other media, such as clay, wood and steel, while also compelling him to explore scale from the intimate to monumental. Chillida’s work challenges the constraints of his materials to redefine the language of Post-War sculpture, resonating with his deep connection to his native Basque region.
Artwork images © Zabalaga Leku. San Sebastián, VEGAP 2023. Photo: Jason Klimatsas
Portrait © Zabalaga Leku. San Sebastián, VEGAP 2023
