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The only authorised biography of acclaimed sculptor Walenty Pytel, penned by Catherine Gilling, unveils the lesser-known life story of the artist.
The book, featuring photography by Jason Hodges and a foreword by journalist Quentin Letts, sheds light on Pytel’s early years, marked by trauma and his escape from the Nazis.
The biography, titled Walenty Pytel: Life | Art | Sculpture, reveals previously undisclosed facts about Pytel’s life, starting from his birth in 1941 in Polish-occupied Ukraine to his arrival in England as a refugee at the end of WWII.
Born to a teenage mother and a father who was imprisoned for currency forgery, Pytel’s life was fraught with challenges from the start.
His mother, after escaping from a German camp, had to steal him back from a Gestapo officer’s garden before fleeing for her life.
The book details how Pytel, by the age of five, had been under the care of three different mothers.
Pytel’s artistic journey began at the age of 15 when he was accepted by the Hereford School of Art.
It was here that he met Mary, who was expelled two years into her studies due to her liaison with him.
Pytel spent five years at the Hereford School of Art before securing his first position as a graphic designer in London in 1961.
After returning to Hereford from London in 1962, Pytel opened two studios, married Mary, and continued to create successful works, gaining recognition worldwide.
The biography also covers Pytel’s dramatic stroke and fall in 2007, which left him hospitalised for several months.
Despite having to relearn many basic skills, Pytel made a remarkable recovery and continues to produce works from his studio at Hartleton, Ross-on-Wye.
In addition to the biography, readers can also enjoy a documentary film, Sculptures in the Sky, available on Vimeo.
The book, an illustrated hardback, is available from Wyebridge 2, Amazon, or via email, priced at £35.
The biography, with its frank and entertaining anecdotes shared by Pytel’s close friends, offers an engaging read about the life of this extraordinary sculptor.
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