Origins & Early Life

Eduardo Chillida Juantegui (Basque: Eduardo Txillida Juantegi; 10 January 1924 – 19 August 2002) was a Spanish Basque sculptor notable for his abstract works. Born in San Sebastián (Donostia) to Pedro Chillida and the soprano Carmen Juantegui on 10 January 1924. Eduardo Chillida grew up near hotel Biarritz, which was owned by his grandparents. Chillida had been the goalkeeper for Real Sociedad, San Sebastián's La Liga football team, where his knee was so seriously injured that he had five surgeries, ending a promising football career.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He then studied architecture at the University of Madrid from 1943 to 1946. In 1947 he abandoned architecture for art, and the next year he moved to Paris, where he set up his first studio and began working in plaster and clay. He never finished his degree and instead began to take private art lessons. He lived in Paris from 1948 to 50 and at Villaines-sous-Bois (Seine-et-Oise) from 1950 to 1955. In 1950 Chillida married Pilar Belzunce and later returned to the San Sebastián area, first to the nearby village of Hernani and in 1959 to the city of his birth, where he remained.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He died at his home near San Sebastián at the age...

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