Birds, [before 1972]

Efthymiadi’s engagement with bird forms spanned her entire career, resulting in series of stylised owls, roosters, and eagles in various sizes. Her dedication sprang from a belief that sculpture should be ‘an art that accompanies people in their everyday lives.’ However, in contrast to other thematic units, in which, until the early 1950s, she followed realistic rendering, the birds are characterized from the outset by an abstract mood and stylizations based on a variety of patterns. These characteristics were strengthened after the mid-1950s. From 1955 onwards, she began crafting solid forms from hammered metal, capturing moments of stillness and harmony in works such as “Birds”, where static poise becomes a source of quiet power.