This exhibition had been in planning for several years as a career retrospective of British sculptor Lynn Chadwick. Unfortunately he was never to see the results as he died earlier this year. The sculptor did, however, have a great input into the exhibition before his death. The show has been curated by Dr Dennis Farr, the author of the catalogue raisonné and the ex-director of the Courtauld. The sculptures span Chadwick’s long career from the 1950s. It was in 1956 that beat Giacometti to win the International Sculpture Prize at the Venice Biennale. This early triumph was a mixed blessing, as it prompted a critical backlash that still resonated in his obituaries, where some described his late career as stagnant. This show is an attempt to prove otherwise (15 September-March 2004). Most of the 30 works are from his estate, but there are also museum loans and “Fisheater” 1951 (left) is from Tate’s own collection. This piece is full of Chadwick’s distinct brand of otherness that came from his interest in tribal archaic Greek art.
Lynn Chadwickarchive
British sculptor Lynn Chadwick on show at Tate Britain
Exhibition on the late artist to open this September
2 September 2003