Modern British Sculpture – Royal Academy, London, A Review

This was a mixed bag of a show, which has mostly been derided by the critics.  As such, it was easy to get a ticket and has not been the must see show that you might expect given the billing. 

The headings for the way the exhibition was divided up were not particularly illuminating and  seemed pretentious and random and did nothing to draw out important themes – witness ‘Monumentalising Life and Death’, or ‘Theft by Finding’.  It was not a very scholarly approach.  Neither was it predominantly an artistic one.

Nonetheless, the major players were all there from Gill to Hirst via Moore, Hepworth and Caro.  It was good to see so many seminal pieces in one place, but one had the feeling that some pieces stood the test of time better than others.  I made copious notes and the odd sketch for future reference.  And the Value systems part of the programme had thoughts on the private and public types of art.  However, this was only helpful in a negative way as it provided a very reductive reading of the scope or interpretation of these spheres.

All in all it was worth seeing but failed to live up to the potential and as such was a wasted opportunity to display and show-case the wealth of talent that is British Sculpture.   

 

A review of Restless Times – Art in Britain 1914-1945 Castle Museum Norwich

This is a brilliant snap shot of some of the ground-breaking art produced in Britain at this time.  All too often, this work has been overlooked due to English snobbery or the craven affection for anything produced in Continental Europe at this time.

The exhibit includes the embers of Sickert’s career, the English Post-Impressionists represented by the likes of Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Roger Fry.  The Vorticists are there too with some ravishing examples of their work. Especially note worthy are the David Bomberg piece; the Epstein study drawing for the rock drill and a lovely early piece by Duncan Grant believed to be from about 1915.

Sculpture too is well represented, with for example, the Gaudier-Brzeska  bird swallowing a fish, with its brutal undertones; and an early piece by Barbara Hepworth in the style of Henry Moore.

Whilst it’s not a large exhibition, the pieces are well chosen and with loans from Sheffield museums  and Tate Britain, it repays a second visit to consider the riches brought together here.

Celebrate an important and very British show and learn more about some the artists and their work who undoubtedly influenced the second part of the 20^th Century.