Animals of the Andes, 1954

Among Greek sculptors, Frosso Efthymiadi stands alone in her sustained focus on animal subjects. Her dedication sprang from a belief that sculpture should be ‘an art that accompanies people in their everyday lives.’ Small works were intended for interior decoration; larger ones for private gardens or public spaces. ‘I truly love pieces that adorn the garden, and I believe animals are ideal for this,’ she remarked in a 1954 radio interview.
This perception is particularly reflected in the works she created until the mid-1950s in terracotta, following realistic rendering. Thereafter, she turned to metal, forging brass or iron sheets and rods herself. This shift in material accompanied a striking move towards abstraction. In this context, the “Animals of the Andes” are stylised depictions of llamas she observed during travels to Bolivia and Peru in 1948, which stand motionless, as though on the high plateaus of their native South American habitat.