22 May - 19 August 1999
The Shape of the Century - 100 years of sculpture in Britain
In 1999, The Salisbury Festival and The Dean & Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral, in association with Wiltshire County Council Art's Collections and the Edwin Young Trust are mounting a major sculpture exhibition in Salisbury. The exhibition will bring together the work of many of Britain's foremost sculptors and will chart the direction of twentieth century British sculpture. The comprehensive collection of works will illustrate the various directions that sculptors have explored. The accompanying catalogue and exhibition text will set the works within the social, political and cultural context of the time in which they were created. The sculptures will provide a connection with some of the major landmarks of this century.
The Salisbury exhibition will provide the opportunity for the public to see many of the significant, innovative and beautiful works of modem sculpture produced in Britain throughout this century. Sculptures v~ill be located throughout the city with a particular focus on the Cathedral and it's Close. Sculpture has an impact on its surroundings in much the same way that the presence of another human being does, whether it is simply at an emotional level or as the catalyst for deeper thoughts and experiences. The exhibition will provide the framework for the visitor to see a significant number of sculptures in a variety of both urban and semi-rural environments. The diversity of works will illuminate many of the issues at the heart of modem sculpture. Accompanying the exhibition will be a series of specialist lectures, gallery & Cathedral Close talks & conversations with the curator of the exhibition, and a series of performance and educational events. |
The
people of Britain have witnessed immense changes in their lives throughout this century.
Two world wars, along with political and social reforms and previously unimagined
technological innovations, have created often radical responses in both public and
personal attitudes and expectations. One of the most immediate barometers of society can
be seen through the art that society produces, condones or vilifies. Sculptors throughout
this century have been searching not only for means to express themselves individually as
artists, but as a contemporary voice of their time.