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Basket Weaver

Collection:	Trades in Bronze (Antonio Oteiza)
Author:	Fr. Antonio Oteiza
Inventory Number:	MCO-AO-ES-00011
Type:	Sculpture
Location:	Cataloguing Room
Characteristics:	A small-format freestanding bronze sculpture mounted on a separate base of polished black marble. The composition brings together a seated human figure and a basket of striking volume, rendered through a lattice-like pattern that contrasts with the body's more organic and irregular modelling. The patina combines greenish, brown and dark tones, with warm bronze highlights emerging along the edges and raised surfaces. The work stands out for the close integration of figure, gesture and working tool.
Artwork:	Click to enlarge
Audio Guide:
Description:	In Basket Weaver, Antonio Oteiza explores one of the recurring themes in his work: human labour understood as experience, knowledge and a source of identity. The figure sits leaning over the basket, completely absorbed in the task. The face is only loosely defined and the anatomy is simplified, shifting expressiveness towards the body's posture and its physical relationship with the object. The body curves forward, the hands move close to the work, and the entire composition seems to close in around that gesture. The basket, however, is far more than a simple attribute identifying the trade. Its volume has a presence of its own and determines the structure of the sculpture. The geometric weave of its surface introduces a visual rhythm that contrasts with the organic irregularity of the figure, reinforcing the idea of matter transformed through patience and skill. This balance between worker and object is one of the keys to the work. Oteiza portrays not only the maker, but also the bond between the craft and what emerges from it. In this way, an everyday scene becomes a reflection on attention, practice and the value of work created by hand.

Works from the collection

Formworker

Formworker pays tribute to one of the essential trades in construction. Antonio Oteiza honours the craftsman who prepares the framework upon which every building takes shape. The sculpture reveals how skill, precision and quiet dedication become the true foundation of any enduring work.
Blacksmith

In Blacksmith, Antonio Oteiza captures the essence of craftsmanship at its most decisive moment. Rather than depicting the impact of the hammer, he focuses on the instant beforehand, when strength, skill and concentration come together. The sculpture becomes a tribute to manual knowledge and to the transformative power of human labour.
Writer

In Writer, Antonio Oteiza transforms the act of writing into sculptural matter. The figure, bent over his task, becomes closely integrated with a volume covered in signs and incisions that visually extend the act of writing. Rather than portraying a specific individual, the work evokes concentration, memory and the human impulse to turn experience into language.
Ashlar Stonemason

In Stone Mason, Antonio Oteiza pays tribute to one of humanity's oldest crafts. Rather than celebrating physical effort alone, the sculpture explores the quiet relationship between the mason and the stone, revealing the patience, skill and understanding required to shape raw material into architecture. The work becomes a reflection on craftsmanship as both knowledge and creation.
Mechanic

In Mechanic, Antonio Oteiza captures the decisive moment of work. The standing figure leans over a mechanical component, manipulating it with both hands. Every part of the body is directed toward this single point, where observation, movement and material come together.

The sculpture transforms an everyday task into a powerful reflection on concentration, craftsmanship and dedication to one's profession.
Espadrille Maker

In Espadrille Maker, Antonio Oteiza pays tribute to one of the traditional crafts that quietly shaped everyday life. Two artisans share the same workspace, their attention focused on a task that depends less on strength than on skill, patience and experience. Between them, a small stack of finished espadrilles becomes the silent outcome of their shared labour.
Photographer

In Photographer, Antonio Oteiza transforms a familiar profession into a quiet study of observation and anticipation. A small group of figures occupies one side of the relief, while the photographer leans over his camera on the other. Between them, a broad open space becomes the silent stage where the moment before the image is captured unfolds.
Grape Harvester

A woman carries the weight of the grape harvest on her shoulder. Antonio Oteiza turns this everyday gesture into a powerful image of endurance, balance and the deep bond between human labour and the land.
Teaching

A group of people listens attentively as one figure points towards a large surface in the background. In Teaching, Antonio Oteiza presents the transmission of knowledge as a human encounter shaped by attention, exchange and the willingness to learn.
Crosscut Sawyers

Two men work opposite one another with a long crosscut saw. Antonio Oteiza turns this demanding task into an image of shared effort: each worker’s strength becomes effective only when it falls into rhythm with the other.
Bullfighters. Paseíllo

Three bullfighters advance together during the solemn paseíllo. Antonio Oteiza captures the moment just before the bullfight begins, when ceremony, public scrutiny and an awareness of danger turn an orderly procession into a scene charged with inner tension.