Artwork
'Nine Catalytic Stations' (A Cosmology). 1987
'Nine Catalytic Stations' (A Cosmology). 1987 is a drawing by Paul Neagu. It dates from 1985 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
The series traces key motifs through his career—like his hyphen form, starheads, and the “subject generator.
Paul Neagu’s 1987 drawing titled *Nine Catalytic Stations (A Cosmology)* is a work on paper. It’s part of a larger group of 93 drawings he gave to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1999.
The series traces key motifs through his career—like his hyphen form, starheads, and the “subject generator.” These sketches link to his other media, showing how ideas move across sculpture, performance, and drawing.
See more of his work at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
Paul Neagu’s 1987 work *Nine Catalytic Stations (A Cosmology)* is a paper drawing that forms part of a larger set of ninety‑three drawings presented to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1999. The collection was assembled to illustrate, through works on paper, the evolution of Neagu’s artistic practice over nearly three decades.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing incorporates recurring symbols that Neagu employed throughout his career, notably the hyphen, star‑head motifs, and a device he termed the “subject generator.” These elements function as visual shorthand for his investigations into transformation and the generation of new forms.
Technique & Style
Executed in drawing media, the piece demonstrates Neagu’s fluid line work and his capacity to translate ideas normally realized in sculpture, performance, or installation onto a two‑dimensional surface. The composition balances schematic precision with gestural marks, reflecting his interdisciplinary approach.
History & Provenance
Created in 1987, the work entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection as part of the artist’s 1999 donation of ninety‑three drawings. Neagu selected the pieces himself, in collaboration with curator Gill Saunders, to map the development of his visual vocabulary.
Context
Neagu, a Romanian‑born artist active in the United Kingdom from the 1970s onward, worked across sculpture, installation, painting, and performance. The drawing sits within his broader concern with “generative art,” a concept that underpinned much of his practice and linked disparate media through shared motifs.
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.
