Kenneth Armitage, like Clarke and Chadwick first came to international prominence at the 1952 British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Inspired by the ‘simple things’ in and around his life he incorporated similar structures into figurative sculpture and his work is often imbued with a wry sense of the humour in daily life.

This unique maquette by Kenneth Armitage is a poignant and important piece, being both his final sculpture and, in its final version at 30ft tall, also his most monumental. Armitage’s later works often feature symbolic arms in gestures of reaching or welcome. ‘Reach for the Stars’ depicts both hand and star, supported on an arm that is simultaneously human and architectural. It perfectly captures Armitage’s original inspiration: “If you reach for the stars you might just reach the rooftops.”