Ptolemy Elrington Art for Sale and Sold Prices

b. 1965 -

Ptolemy Elrington makes sculptures from scrap material and runaway hubcaps. He lives in the British seaside town of Brighton, and has been crafting his Hubcap Creatures for twelve years. In this time Ptolemy has built a name for himself, and now there is enough demand for his work that he’s able to do it full-time. He is known for his animals, particularly fish, but can make just about anything, and sells to all kinds of people.

Yes, hubcaps. Ptolemy either finds them by the side of the road or works from donations. He manipulates them using hand tools and wire – the only ‘concession’ to modern technology is his battery-powered drill. He bends his hubcaps by hand, preferring to work with plastic ones to metal because they’re more pliable.

hubcap pingu penguin by ptolemy erlingtonPtolemy’s sculptures have wide appeal: they tickle the fancy of art lovers of all age, wealth or cultural lines. He’s sold to millionaires and to people with hardly any money to spare. In the past few years, as sustainability has become more relevant in business, he has been commissioned by organisations. Clients include brands such as Ernst & Young, for whom he made life-size sculptures of a samurai and geisha; his current commission is for Ecover, and will be a bee.

Ptolemy’s creations can take anything from a single day to three months, such as the giant, ten-metre long dragon he made from 200 hubcaps “that now has a flamethrower installed,” he says.

And where are they exhibited? The Ecover bee will be unveiled to tens of thousands of muddy people at the Glastonbury Festival this year, and it’s easy to imagine a few Hubcap Creatures swimming across the desert sands at Burning Man – which is somewhere he’d love to exhibit.