Picasso's influence

Not a nice sunny day but shall we see " angel " before rain. This is one of Melbourne's iconic landmarks. Called " Angel " The 10 metre high, two-head sculpture was recently relocated from the National Gallery to the north bank of the Yarra River at Birrarung Marr. It can be seen from as far away as Princes Bridge.

Deborah Halpern’s public sculpture, made from colorful ceramic mosaic tiles, pushed the boundaries of ceramic art with Angel, creating a semi-abstract work that resembles a three-legged llama in form and on which more than 4000 individually cut and hand-painted tiles are fixed to its concrete and steel armature. The colourful images adorning this work reveal Picasso's influence on Halpern's art.

From 1988 until 2005, Deborah Halpern's ceramic sculpture was sited in the southern moat of the National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Road. With its joyful spirit and arresting form. 

Then Angel has been sited on the banks of the Yarra in Birrarung Marr since 2005, where the viewers can see it from all sides for the first time. It remains part of the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, which commissioned the work in collaboration with the Australian Bicentennial Authority.