Fountain
- Artist: Sir Eduardo Paolozzi
- Date: 1951–2
- Medium: Steel and copper alloy
- Dimensions: confirmed: 1029 x 620 x 483 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is the “Fountain” by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. The sculpture was created while Paolozzi was developing ideas for a large‑scale working fountain and was commissioned for the 1951 Festival of Britain on London’s Southbank. It measures about 1029 × 620 × 483 mm, with its metal framework reaching roughly 4.5 m in height.
Paolozzi built the piece on a modest budget using steel scaffolding pipes and concrete, then added copper alloy to give it a subtle patina. The result is an irregular, non‑representational form that recalls the dynamic motion of water without actually containing any moving fluid. Though made from simple materials, the sculpture’s geometry evokes the rhythmic patterns of a fountain’s flow.
After its debut at the Festival, Paolozzi went on to design similar fountains in Hamburg in 1953, and he also decorated the bar of the new Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. The “Fountain” is a clear example of early 1950s architectural sculpture, blending industrial materials with playful forms to create an abstract landscape element that still invites visitors to imagine sound and movement.
See it in person
Fountain is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
