Lot 253: Linda Brunker (b.1966) FOLIOSE 2 bronze with a

Linda Brunker (b.1966) FOLIOSE 2 bronze with a green patina; unique 34 by 103 by 48cm., 13.4 by 40.6 by 18.9in> In 1988 Brunker graduated from NCAD and in the same year participated in the 'GPA Aviation Emerging Artists Exhibition' by invitation from renowned Irish art critic and former vice president of The International Art Critics Assoc., Dorothy Walker. It was at this early point in her career that Brunker had begun to develop what she terms an 'open filigree' technique of casting in bronze, a practice which has set apart her style and which challenges the traditional concept of bronze figurative sculpture. Her sculptures are typically based on the human form and have a strong spiritual and ecological quality. Natural elements such as leaves, feathers or starfish feature in abundance in her work and are intricately woven together to give shape to elegant figures which are later cast in bronze> Foliose 2 is a unique piece but was the second version of 'Foliose' made in order to improve on this 'open filigree' technique; the first version is in the AIB collection. Dorothy Walker, once wrote of Brunker's work; "...the underlying idea, the artist's intention and the medium used to express that intention and idea, coalesce so closely and with such crucial balance that an ardent energy is released, breathing life into inert matter". Foliose 2 embodies this statement and is a most significant work representative of the artist's oeuvre. Linda Brunker's work has been in such demand in North America, that in 2007 she opened her own gallery in Los Angeles where her sculpture and drawings form part of an ongoing exhibition. With thanks to the artist for her help in cataloguing this work> Walker, Dorothy, Bronze by Gold, The work of Irish Women Sculptors', Irish Arts Review Yearbook, 1989/90, vol. 6., p. 207-13