''Piscator'', also known as the ''Euston Head'', is a large abstract sculpture by

Eduardo Paolozzi Sir Eduardo Luigi Paolozzi (, ; 7 March 1924 – 22 April 2005) was a Scottish artist, known for his sculpture and graphic works. He is widely considered to be one of the pioneers of pop art. Early years Eduardo Paolozzi was born on 7 March 1 ...

. It was commissioned by

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

in 1980 for the forecourt of

Euston Station Euston railway station ( ; also known as London Euston) is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden, managed by Network Rail. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railw ...

in London, and is named for the German theatre director

Erwin Piscator Erwin Friedrich Maximilian Piscator (17 December 1893 – 30 March 1966) was a German theatre director and producer. Along with Bertolt Brecht, he was the foremost exponent of epic theatre, a form that emphasizes the socio-political content of ...

. The sculpture is made from

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

with an aluminium finish, and was cast by the ironfounders Robert Taylor and Co. It measures . In making the work, Paolozzi was assisted by Ray Watson. The sides of the sculpture have silvered bumps and hollows; viewed from above, the top surface resolves into a blocky human body and face. It is described in

Pevsner Pevsner or Pevzner is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aihud Pevsner (1925–2018), American physicist * Antoine Pevsner (1886–1962), Russian sculptor, brother of Naum Gabo * David Pevsner, American actor, singer, da ...

as "a silvered block with curved hollows, and rectangular shapes above". In late 2016, it was reported that the ownership of the sculpture was unclear. It was commissioned by British Rail, which was privatised in the 1990s, and the sculpture may have been inherited by

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

, who owns the freehold of the land on which it sits. However, Network Rail has denied ownership, saying that the land is leased to

Sydney & London Properties Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...

, but the leaseholders have also denied any responsibility for the sculpture. It has since been discovered that the Arts Council of England owns the work. A series of six models in bronze were also cast, with one held by the

Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...

Gallery

File:Paolozzi Euston Station London.jpg File:Piscator - geograph.org.uk - 913686.jpg File:Paolozzi sculpture - Euston Square - 10.JPG, Stylised human body and face on top of the sculpture, visible from the surrounding tall buildings

References

Major Paolozzi sculpture facing decay 'because no one wants to own it'
The Guardian, 28 November 2016
Paolozzi sculpture at Euston is one of many works of art left to rot
The Guardian, 29 November 2016
Major Public Sculpture by Eduardo Paolozzi at Risk as Owners Can’t Be Found
artnet.com, 29 November 2016

Evening Standard, 29 November 2016
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi RA (1924–2005), Piscator or Euston Head, bronze on a pine plinth
the-saleroom.com, 2 June 2015
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, R.A. (1924–2005)
Christie's, December 2016
Piscator (Euston Head)
Science Museum {{Portal bar, London, Theatre, Visual arts 1980 sculptures Abstract sculptures in the United Kingdom Aluminium sculptures in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Camden Iron sculptures in the United Kingdom Outdoor sculptures in London Cast-iron sculptures