Artwork
Endless edge Hyphen - Wien
Endless edge Hyphen - Wien is a drawing by Paul Neagu. It dates from 1998 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This is a 1998 drawing by Paul Neagu. It’s a working sketch for a planned public sculpture called *Endless Edge Hyphen* in Vienna. The artist gave this sheet to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1999.
Neagu often reused symbols like the hyphen in many of his works. This drawing shows one of those recurring shapes.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
This paper drawing, executed in 1998 by Romanian‑born artist Paul Neagu, functions as a preparatory study for a proposed public sculpture titled *Endless Edge Hyphen* intended for Vienna. The sheet was donated by Neagu to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1999 and now forms part of the museum’s drawing collection.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on Neagu’s recurring hyphen motif, a linear form that he employed as a visual shorthand for continuity, tension, and transformation. In this sketch the hyphen is explored as a three‑dimensional element, suggesting how the simple sign might be expanded into a monumental, site‑specific work that engages viewers along an imagined edge.
Technique & Style
Rendered in pen and ink on paper, the drawing combines precise line work with gestural annotations, indicating dimensions, material considerations, and spatial relationships. Neagu’s approach blends schematic drafting with expressive marks, reflecting his practice of merging architectural planning with the spontaneity of drawing.
History & Provenance
Created during the final phase of Neagu’s career, the study was part of a series of drawings that document the evolution of his signature symbols. After its completion, the artist gifted the sheet to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1999, where it has remained in the drawing department.
Context
Neagu, who settled in the United Kingdom in 1969, worked across sculpture, installation, performance and painting, often revisiting a personal visual vocabulary that included the hyphen, starhead and a “subject generator.” This drawing illustrates how those motifs were translated from two‑dimensional sketches into large‑scale public commissions.
Artist & collection
Artist
Paul Neagu (1938–2004) was a Romanian-British artist, born in Romania and living in England from 1970 onwards, who worked in diverse media such as drawing, sculpture, performance art and watercolor. He died on 16 June 2004 in London.
