Peter Haden - Almost Forgotten

30 Exhibiting internationally – Europe, 1971 to 1997 In the first few years, it seemed that Haden’s move to Geneva had been inspired as he exhibited regularly: 1971 Redfern Gallery, London, exhibited Double Heads. 1972 Galerie Motte, Geneva, 3 to 20 October. 1973 La Galerie Motte, Paris, exhibited jewellery in gold and copper and 14 sculptures in bronze, including Relief Allong é ( Elongated Relief ) from the South African period, 27 February to 16 March. Palais de l’Athénée, Geneva, 22 May to 22 June 1973. 1975 Ville de Carouge, Geneva, exhibited Le jeu (stainless steel) (produced jointly with Hank Ketcham) for the American Club of Geneva’s celebration of the bicentenary of the declaration of independence of the United States of America. 1976 Haden became interested in the art of calligraphy and began making sculptures of the Greek and Latin alphabets. He began the Hebrew alphabet project with ‘reading and drawing and the making of trial sculpture’. Galerie Arta and Galerie Didale, Geneva, two-man show with Louis Soutter. Galerie 40, Geneva, exhibited and authored a book titled ‘ Peter Haden – Sculpture: The Variations on Two Forms’ . Haden designed about 20 small sculptures and a few very large ones based on variations on two forms. 1980 Achim Moeller, London. The sculpture featured on the exhibition invitation is The Protector , designed and first cast in 1970 before Haden left South Africa. Galerie Patrick Cramer, Geneva, published the book ‘Elementary Knowledge – A Story of the Creation of the Hebrew Alphabet’. In the Preface Haden states: I have been concerned about the problem facing some people when they find themselves confronted with Abstract Art. I tried to look at the problem from a number of aspects as I searched for a vehicle similar to the novel in literature, which would allow various depths of expression whilst retaining some straightforward interpretation of the work. Somewhere I read that God gave the letters the power to excite anyone who ever had anything to do with them. As multiple interpretations abound, and there are the obvious ones like the excitement of learning through the use of letters, actually doing the project has been enormously exciting and fulfilling. Invitation to the exhibition Peter Haden: Sculpture , Achim Moeller Ltd, Basel, showing The Protector , 1970