Ian Hamilton Finlay

Ian Hamilton Finlay (Nassau, 1925 – Edimburgo, 2006)

Ian Hamilton Finlay, a Scottish poet and visual artist, has been a fundamental figure and promoter of Concrete Poetry since the early 1960s. This avant-garde movement explores the physical presence of words within lived reality. Self-described as a “gardener,” he plants his poems, sculpted in a variety of materials, within his garden, which, already in its name, Little Sparta, indicates his desire to resist external influences and protect his poetic Eden.

In contrast to other artists hosted at Celle, Finlay’s story is unique. Having long secluded himself in his house-studio-garden in Dunsyre and suffering from agoraphobia, Finlay is the only artist who did not stay at the Collection before designing his work for Celle. Instead, his wife, Sue Finlay, conducted an extensive photographic survey.

Finlay’s choice is inspired, in part, by Giuliano Gori’s suggestion of a secluded and magically appealing space: the lake located in the heart of the park, with its island complete with romantic features at its center. It could be an ideal place for an artist working between art and poetry. However, from all the photos taken by Sue, Finlay noticed an agricultural area where he decided to create his “proposal for the enhancement of the olive grove at Celle”: bronze objects that make up the “Virgilian Grove” (1985). It wasn’t until 2001 that Finlay arrived at Celle, when he had been invited by Giuliano Gori to create the permanent work Homage to Jean-Jacques Rousseau for the Padula Park on the occasion of the 11th International Sculpture Biennale in Carrara.

“The site allotted to the artist was one-quarter of an existing olive grove. Rather than alter this he has proposed the addition of some sculptural objects… A plough of the Roman sort but made in bronze; on the shaft is the inscription: ‘The day is old by noon’; A bronze oval plaque fixed to an olive tree. The bronze has a dull, rusticated finish and is inscribed with the words (in rustic Roman letters): ‘The silver flute / The rough bark’, ‘The silver bark / The rough flute’. A basket of lemons, but made in bronze. Bronze bands around the top and bottom of the basket, with the words (top band): ‘Silence after chatter’ and (lower band) ‘The astringent is sweet’…” Ian Hamilton Finlay inGori Collection: Site Specific Art at the Fattoria di Celle, ed. Gli Ori, Pistoia, 2009, p126.

Works by the artist

The Virgilian Wood

For more info:

ianhamiltonfinlay.com