GREG DEDA
Pygmalion Edition IV, 2025
Magic Realism Series
Oil on canvas
100 x 80cm
In mythology, Pygmalion was a sculptor who created a beautiful statue of a wom- an, whom he named Galatea. He fell deeply in love with his creation and prayed to the goddess Aphrodite to bring her to life, a wish she granted.
This myth was masterfully adapted by George Bernard Shaw in his play Pygmalion. Shaw reimagines the story in early 20th-century London, centering it around Cove nt Garden. Pygmalion takes the form of Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetics expert, and Galatea becomes Eliza Doolittle. Rather than sculpting from marble, Higgins "molds" Eliza through language and manners.