
Paura dell’ Intimata (Fear of Intimacy)
Peter Schipperheyn
Peter Schipperheyn’s Paura dell' Intimità is a striking Carrara marble sculpture blending classical tradition with contemporary themes. This globally inspired work invites viewers to reflect on intimacy and connection in a multicultural world.
Peter Schipperheyn’s Paura dell' Intimità is a striking and thought-provoking piece, offering a powerful message of universality and cultural fusion. The sculpture embodies a connection between multiple worlds, tracing its origins from the classical tradition of Ancient Greece to the modern-day sensibilities of the artist, whose work was inspired by a lifetime of diverse cultural influences.
Carved from Carrara marble and initially started in Italy, Paura dell' Intimità was completed in Melbourne, exhibited in Sydney, and now finds its home in Moree, a testament to the work’s global journey. Schipperheyn, born in Melbourne to Dutch parents, trained at the Caulfield Institute of Technology and later studied in Rome, where he immersed himself in Italy’s deep, everyday connection to art. His work reflects a commitment to figurative art and the classical traditions of fine craftsmanship that were in contrast to the prevailing modernist ethos of the time.
Paura dell' Intimità stands as a powerful symbol of the artist’s journey, capturing the essence of the modern Australian story. It is a fusion of tradition and innovation, an artwork that speaks to both the past and present, inviting viewers to reflect on the complexity of intimacy and connection in a multicultural world.
Artist: Peter Schipperheyn
When: On permanent display
Where: BAMM Gallery
FREE
Biographies
Peter Schipperheyn completed his artistic training in Melbourne and Rome and in 1979 was awarded an Italian government scholarship to study marble carving at the Academia di Belle Arti, Carrara, Italy. In 1992 Schipperheyn received the Wynne Prize for two enormous heads carved from Carrara marble. Major commissions include a relief panel honoring Dame Joan Sutherland for the Sydney Town Hall, a baptismal font for Saint Stephan’s Cathedral, Brisbane, fourteen “Stations of the Cross” in bronze for the Notre Dame University in Freemantle and an “Eternal Flame”, made from Australian granite, for the Holocaust Centre, Melbourne.
In 2003 the McClelland Sculpture Gallery and Dame Elizabeth Murdoch Sculpture Fund commisioned a major bronze sculpture, entitled “Thus Spake Zarathustra”. His work can be found in public and private collections throughout Australia and in U.S.A., Europe and Asia.