Luxury Real Estate

Courtesy of Krista Zilizi of Isleworth Golf & Country Club

(Photo: Sotheby’s monumental sculpture exhibition returns to Isleworth Golf & Country Club. Consejo al Espacio IX is one of a dozen Eduardo Chillida sculptures currently on display at Isleworth.)  Windermere, Fla. (March 9, 2011) – Isleworth Golf & Country Club welcomed the monumental works of the late abstract sculptor Eduardo Chillida, marking the celebrated Spanish artist’s first major U.S. exhibition of his large-scale, outdoor sculptures.

Coming directly from the artist’s estate, each of the 12 sculptures on display within Isleworth were conceived for the outdoors and are being offered in a single-artist private selling exhibition through April. The dozen sculptures installed throughout Isleworth range from $2 million to more than $9 million.

The Chillida collection is the second single-artist exhibition Sotheby’s has staged at Isleworth, which has hosted six sculpture sales since 2004. Sotheby’s 2008 Bernar Venet retrospective, Isleworth’s first single-artist presentation, was met with resounding success. Chillida’s works were formerly housed in the Chillida Leku Museum, the artist’s sculpture garden in northern Spain that closed this year after operating for a decade. The Chillida Family chose to showcase a selection of the artist’s works at Isleworth because the community’s verdant and expansive surroundings mirror Chillida’s sculpture park.

(Photos: Chillida’s Homenaje a Cioran and Consejo al Espacio VIII at Isleworth. Chillida’s Elogio del Vacio VI at Isleworth.)

“We are so pleased to have the opportunity to display Chillida’s masterpieces in our community,” said Vivienne Lewis, president of Isleworth Golf & Country Club and a Tavistock Group director. “It is an honor to be able to further the legacy of one of the most internationally renowned sculptors.”

Chillida, who died in 2002, is considered one of the leading sculptors of the 20th century. He achieved international recognition with his revolutionary approach to using natural surroundings as integral and inextricable elements of his sculptures. Made of iron, steel and stone, Chillida’s works are inspired by his rural and industrial roots in Spain’s Basque Country, where he forged his first work in iron at a local foundry.

Margot Knight, president and CEO of the United Arts of Central Florida, is familiar with the artist and has a keen understanding of his sculptures. Knight had the opportunity to meet Chillida in 1992 during a cultural exchange with the Basque Ministry of Culture.

“Though not as well known in this country, Chillida is held in iconic awe by his own countrymen and throughout Europe,” Knight said. “His monumental works challenge the spaces they inhabit, and his sculptures are as well displayed in the grassy landscapes of Isleworth as they are in his native land.”

Chillida’s art trail is extensive with more than 40 works on public display in cities around the world. Berlin, two colossal iron structures in front of the new German Chancellery in Berlin, is Chillida’s tribute to German reunification. Chillida’s Wind Combs, a series of giant steel forceps suspended from the granite cliffs of San Sebastian, symbolizes man’s connection with nature.

All 12 Chillida pieces at Isleworth are available for private sale through Sotheby’s. Contact Alma Luxembourg at alma.luxembourg@sothebys.com or +1 212 606.1621 for pricing and general inquiries.

ABOUT ISLEWORTH GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

Nestled amongst the Butler Chain of Lakes in southwest Orlando, Isleworth Golf & Country Club is a 600- acre community with more than seven miles of shoreline and a championship golf course. 2011 marks Isleworth’s 25th anniversary and its transformation from a citrus grove to one of the world’s most prestigious and secure luxury residential communities. Conceived by Arnold Palmer, designed by Ed Seay and enhanced by Steve Smyers, Isleworth’s course features generous, undulating and fast greens and is consistently ranked one of the longest and toughest in Florida. Isleworth is home to an 89,000-squarefoot Mediterranean-style clubhouse where members have access to multiple dining venues and a fitness center. Members also enjoy tennis facilities, a year-round children’s program, concierge services and 24- hour gated security. Isleworth’s natural setting lends the perfect backdrop for its permanent one-of-a-kind collection of monumental sculptures, which are displayed throughout the property. Sotheby’s monumental exhibition returns to Isleworth this spring and features extraordinary works by abstract sculptor Eduardo Chillida. Elegant estate homes, priced from $2 million to more than $20 million, are afforded commanding golf to water views. For more information, visit www.isleworth.com or call (407) 876-0111.