Contemporary Art

Eduardo Paolozzi and Ray Watson: The Drive to Create

17 December 2025

Carly Shearer

Ray Hardinge Campbell Watson (1940-2000) was a long-time friend and collaborator of the artist Eduardo Paolozzi. Ray was a skilled and creative model-maker, working on projects including developing the train model collection for Wills Fine Cast. He was initially introduced to Paolozzi by Mike Featherston-Haugh on this basis, at a time when Paolozzi was looking for assistance with making models for some of his many projects. It was obviously a meeting of minds, as the two would go on to collaborate and inspire each other for over thirty years, seeking out opportunities to create and make wherever they could.

We are delighted to be offering a collection of works spanning sculpture in plaster and bronze, folio sets and prints from Ray’s collection in our January 2026 Contemporary Art auction, all of which were gifts from Eduardo to Ray and his family, many with personal inscriptions.

Contemporary Art

Explore our 14 January 2026 auction, taking place live in Edinburgh and online.

Ray assisted with the making of models for Paolozzi’s commissions and projects and even developed a paper-making machine, which then made lots of the paper that Eduardo produced his prints on. Together they worked on projects including Piscator (Euston Head), a significant sculpture commissioned by British Rail in 1980 for the forecourt of Euston Station. They used space at Marylebone Train Station to develop the project and Ray’s sister has vivid memories of visiting and having to climb inside the giant polystyrene model for the sculpture to eat lunch!

EDUARDO PAOLOZZI K.B.E., R.A., H.R.S.A. (SCOTTISH 1924-2005)

HERMES/MONDRIAN HEAD - 1996

Bronze, A/C, signed, dated and inscribed verso, with the ‘Livingstone Art Founders’ mark verso

This work brings together elements from the Mondrian heads and Hermes portraits which Paolozzi made in the early 1990s.

Such was Ray and Eduardo’s commitment to their work, that comfort and practicality were often sacrificed; when working on the design for the Tottenham Court Road murals, the large model they used to plan the design was stored on Ray’s bed, meaning he had to sleep elsewhere. Fortunately, Paolozzi had negotiated a lifetime offering of free pizza at Pizza Express when designing murals for one of its early branches in London in the late 60s, so they never went hungry and ate a lot of pizza over the years, even when finances were tight as they ploughed all resources into the next project.

EDUARDO PAOLOZZI K.B.E., R.A., H.R.S.A. (SCOTTISH 1924-2005)

CLOUD ATOMIC LABORATORY - 1971

The incomplete portfolio of 7 photo-etchings, AP 9, from the edition of 75 plus 10 A.P.s, signed, dated ‘December 1975’ and inscribed ‘For Ray’ in ink to title page

Ray’s family were also closely involved with Paolozzi and have many fond memories of what he and Ray got up to, in the spirit of making and creativity. These range from the pair jumping in skips and letting themselves into the Royal College of Art on weekends with a secret key, to all the family having to eat huge volumes of tinned tomatoes, so that the empty tins could be used for sculptures. Across his life, Ray kept a record of everything they created and produced together which would have provided an unbelievable account of Paolozzi’s creative output over those years but unfortunately, he destroyed this before his untimely death in 2000.

Meet the Specialist

HEAD OF SALE

CARLY SHEARER

Department

Contemporary Art

Artists

Eduardo Paolozzi

Scottish 1924 - 2005