Right, courtesy of Phillip King From the “Modern British Sculpture” exhibition, Alfred Gilbert’s “Jubilee Memorial to Queen Victoria” (1887), and Phillip King’s “Genghis Khan” (1963).
England has produced some of the greatest sculptors of the last 100 years, so it is only fitting that one of London’s most prominent galleries, the Royal Academy of Arts (Burlington House, Piccadilly; 44-207-300-8000; www.royalacademy.org.uk), should hold one of the first comprehensive exhibition of their work. Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Jacob Epstein and Anthony Caro are just a few of the major artists whose sculptures will be on display through April 7.
The “Modern British Sculpture” show includes Caro’s dramatic, red steel and aluminum metal sculpture “Early One Morning”; Hepworth’s graceful, “Pelagos,” a hollowed out, spiral-shaped wooden sculpture with delicate strings; and, as a sort of contrast, the baroque, exquisitely-detailed bronze “Jubilee Memorial to Queen Victoria” by Alfred Gilbert, from 1887.
Probably most familiar will be Moore’s imposing “Reclining Figure,” from 1951. And no contemporary exhibition would be complete without a work by Damien Hirst, whose “Let’s Eat Outdoors Today” contains the remains of a barbecue and buzzing flies in a large glass container.
To add to the exhibit’s breadth, the academy features sculpture from Native American, Indian and African traditions that inspired British artists from 1910-1939, at the height of the Empire. “We’re very interested in showing how foreign works fed their inspiration, and not just those from Greece and Rome,” said Adrian Locke, exhibitions curator. “We also highlight the two forms of sculpture, abstraction and figurative, and document as far as possible why certain artists choose one or the other, or moved back and forth. We’ll feel we’ve done our job if visitors leave questioning what is modern, British and sculpture.”
The Royal Academy is open daily, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (Fridays until 10 p.m.). Admission is £12 for adults (about $18.65), and £4 for children ages 12 to 18. (Admission includes the £2.50 gallery guide.)