This exhibition brings together important works by artists who shaped the history and evolution of British and European sculpture from the mid-twentieth century onwards. Spanning more than six decades, the selection traces a remarkable era of reinvention, when sculptors embraced abstraction, challenged established traditions and found new expressive possibilities in both ancient and industrial materials.
At its heart is a generation marked by the social, political and cultural upheavals of the Second World War and its aftermath. Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler, Lynn Chadwick, Geoffrey Clarke and Bernard Meadows came to international prominence at the 1952 Venice Biennale, where their work was associated with Herbert Read’s influential Geometry of Fear, developing distinct sculptural languages in response to an uncertain age.
Throughout the exhibition, material and processes are significant. The selection illustrates how these artists subverted traditional casting methods, utilizing forged iron, cast aluminium, welded steel, and stove enamel to articulate complex psychological landscapes. The body remains a frequent point of departure, variously modelled, fragmented and mechanised. Selected paintings and drawings reveal the foundations for sculptural languages.
Rather than presenting a single narrative, this selection highlights affinities and tensions between works. It shows how each artist developed a distinct vocabulary within the post-war shift away from sculpture as traditional monument. Featured artists include Kenneth Armitage, Reg Butler, Geoffrey Clarke, Elisabeth Frink, George Fullard, John Hoskin, Bryan Kneale, Bernard Meadows, Breon O’Casey, Charlotte Mayer, Eduardo Paolozzi and Olivier Strebelle.
