Spotlight: London Native David Breuer-Weil Creates Towering Sculptures Inspired by ‘Nerac,’ His Vast Imaginary World

The artist recently completed two monumental bodies of work inspired by life during the pandemic.

David Breuer-Weil with his towering sculptures at Saint Pancras, London. Photography by Sam Roberts.

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About the Artist: London native David Breuer-Weil (b. 1965) is renowned for his monumental paintings as well as his towering bronze figurative sculptures. Breuer-Weil studied at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art under Henry Moore’s assistant Shelley Fausset and later attended Clare College, Cambridge.

His series of Surrealistic visions known as “Projects,” which is characterized by a vibrant palette of burnt umber, orange, and royal blues, is his most famous, and was the subject of a Skira monograph. The artist has kept the series intact and plans to install the entirety of the project together one day.

Over the decades, Breuer-Weil has also defined himself as one of the leading contemporary British sculptors with iconic works such as Brothers and Alien displayed to great acclaim and installed in major public spaces in London. His works have been included in exhibitions at Chatsworth House and the Jewish Museum, London. During lockdown, the artist set to work on two ambitious new projects: The Coviad, a vast gold and pencil to-scale drawing inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, drawn entirely by hand, and The New Normal, a series of monumental paintings. Meanwhile, his sculpture Flight, which speaks to the end of isolation, is currently installed at Kings Cross. 

David Breuer-Weil with Emergence in Hanover Square. Photography by Sam Roberts.

David Breuer-Weil with Emergence in Hanover Square. Photography by Sam Roberts.

Why We Like It: Though many of Breuer-Weil’s works are monumental, he also works on a more intimate scale at times, with sculptures, paintings, and works on paper. The artist’s ambition, across mediums, is to arrest viewers’ imaginations, with his public sculptures, particularly, offering an artistic intervention in the lives of unexpecting passersby. These figurative sculptures ask profound questions about individuality, communication, and existence, intervening in the fabric of London itself. His sculpture Brothers, which is currently installed in London’s Marble Arch, is an image of two people sharing one mind, as a kind of telepathy. Many of these works explore the profound connections we can share with brothers, sisters, parents, children, ancestors, descendants, and strangers. 

David Breuer-Weil, Lockdown (2020). Courtesy of David Breuer-Weil.

David Breuer-Weil, Lockdown (2020). Courtesy of David Breuer-Weil.

According to the Artist: Although these distinct bodies of works may appear different because of the medium, they share an underlying philosophy, what Viktor Frankl might call a ‘search for meaning.’ Picasso is a great inspiration because he made art out of every material, from a scrap of cardboard to a vast canvas. I invented an imaginary universe years ago called Nerac, peopled by hundreds of imagined artists. Most of my works belong to this universe of Nerac, even my vast sculptures are visitors from this private world, intruders into the real world. I am most inspired by artists who invent very personal worlds, people like Klee, Miró, and Blake, but also the art of other cultures, Etruscan, Egyptian, Easter Island, Nigerian and Prehistoric. These are as much an inspiration as modern artists who influence me as well, as there are many timeless concerns shared by artists.”

David Breuer-Weil, Visitor. Courtesy of David Breuer-Weil.

David Breuer-Weil, Visitor. Courtesy of David Breuer-Weil.

For more information about the artist, contact Galerie B. Weil.


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