Sculpture - Art - British Council

Red on Green (detail) by Anya Gallaccio Photographer: Edward Woodman

	Sculpture

The current dictionary definition of sculpture as 'the art or process of creating representational or abstract forms, either in the round or in relief', does not tell the whole story. This notion was first challenged over forty years ago when new practices and a greater diversity in the range and use of materials extended the vocabulary. The term can now be said to encompass installation, land art, body art, performance art, text-based work, photography and video, as well as the three-dimensional art object.

The beginning of modern sculpture in Britain dates from the first decade of the last century and the arrival in this country of the American Jacob Epstein (1880-1959) and the Frenchman Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915). In looking for new ways of interpreting the outside world they turned to non-Western art for inspiration and this, combined with their approach to materials and interest in carving, was to help to forge a new sculptural language. Gaining momentum in the inter-war years through the work of Henry Moore (1898-1986) and Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), new developments in sculpture were nonetheless made in the face of adversity. The breakthrough came in the 1940s and Moore was to achieve great acclaim after winning the International Prize for Sculpture at the Venice Biennale in 1948. In the decades to follow, sculpture has been continually redefined and reinvigorated by successive generations of British artists, and in subsequent biennales and international exhibitions up to the present day, sculpture in all its various guises is constantly showcased.

Red on Green (detail) 1992 by Anya Gallaccio
10,000 red roses; dimensions variable
courtesy Claire and James Hyman, London
Photographer: Edward Woodman © The Artist



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Venice Biennale

What does the British Council do in this area?

The work of Mark Wallinger, shown in the British Pavilion for the Venice Biennale in 2001, perhaps best represents the cross-disciplinary practice of many artists of today. His exhibition included architectural installations, video installations, found objects and drawings, in addition to a life-sized Christ figure cast in resin. This sculpture, entitled Ecce Homo, had originally been commissioned for a temporary siting on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square in 1999, where the modest figure was seen in stark contrast to the architecture and monumental grandeur of the commemorative statuary of a former age. In contrast, Moore to Hirst comprises 60 works by 18 artists, and covers a 60 year period, providing the first opportunity for audiences in Romania to see something of the spirit and invention that characterised British art during this exceptional period. Of all the artforms in Britain, sculpture has commonly been regarded as the most surprising and innovative during the 20th Century. Have a closer look below at our current and archived projects that include sculpture.

Moore To Hirst

A major new exhibition of 20th Century British sculpture for the prestigious National Museum of Art of Romania in Bucharest.Comprising sixty works by eighteen artists, the show is the largest British contemporary sculpture exhibition in Romania for several decades.

Sodium And Asphalt

Martin Boyce: Our love is like the Flowers, the Rain, the Sea and the Hours. Installation view at Tramway, Glasgow 2003. Photographer: Keith Hunter

This collaborative exhibition, co-curated by the Tamayo Museum and the British Council, presents the work of 12 artists in Mexico City’s foremost contemporary art museum, with a subsequent tour to MARCO in Monterrey. The exhibition takes at its theme the visual texture that constitutes urban space.

Archived Sculpture Projects

Field Day

Comprising 61 works by 23 artists, the exhibition covers the 40 year period 1961-2001 and provides the first opportunity for audiences in Taiwan to see something of the spirit and invention that has characterised British art during this exceptional period.

See all Archived Sculpture Projects

Image: Woodrow, taken from Field Day.