Sculpting Lives

Sculpting Lives

By Jo Baring and Sarah TurnerEducationArtsHistoryVisual Arts
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Sculpting Lives episodes

  • S1 Ep2: Sculpting Lives: Elisabeth Frink
    Dame Elisabeth Frink, R.A. (1930-1993)

    “She respected herself. She took herself seriously and she took the work seriously, due to the nature of the work. She knew what it was she wanted to explore.” Annette Ratuszniak, Curator, Frink Estate. In 1973 Elisabeth Frink became the first female sculptor to be elected as a Royal Academician.

    Frink was born into an army family, and her childhood was overshadowed by the Second World War. This experience, and other upheavals of the 20th century, led her to ask fundamental questions about the nature of humanity in her work. In an artworld increasingly dominated by abstraction, Frink remained resolute in her commitment to working both figuratively and in bronze. When Frink died in 1993 she had created over 400 sculptures, many of which are well-known public commissions.  In Episode 2, we explore hidden narratives in Frink’s career, and consider how artists can be sidelined by the ‘art world’ yet remain popular with the public. We also consider the impact an artist’s family has on their posthumous reputation and how this is managed.  
     “A lot of her work resonates in a really contemporary way.” Cathie Pilkington, RA, First Female Professor of Sculpture at the Royal Academy.

    With contributions from:

    ·      Simon Martin, Director, Pallant House Gallery·      Annette Ratuszniak, Curator, The Elisabeth Frink Estate·      Sam Johnston, Director, Dorset History Centre
    ·      Cathie Pilkington, R.A.
    ·      Clare Lilley, Director of Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park

    The sound recordings of Elisabeth Frink (00.00.27-00.00.42) are from Artists' Lives run by National Life Stories in partnership with the British Library.  Audio (c) British Library Board 

    With thanks also to Dorset History Centre  https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/libraries-history-culture/dorset-history-centre/dorset-history-centre.aspx

    Image: Elisabeth Frink with Soldiers Head, courtesy of the Frink Estate

    For works discussed in this episode and more photographs of Frink, see the @sculptinglives Instagram feed. 

    41 min
  • S1 Ep1: Sculpting Lives: Barbara Hepworth
    “Hepworth... didn’t see herself as a feminist at all and didn’t see herself as ‘a pioneering woman’, she just felt she was a pioneering sculptor.” Stephen Feeke, curator and writer. 

    Barbara Hepworth was born in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, in 1903. By the time of her death in 1975, she had become one of the most important artists of the century, creating a poignant and innovative sculptural language. She is extremely unusual for a woman artist in that she has two museums named after her. 

    Although a lot has been written about Hepworth, there is still a great deal to find out – there is a mystique and there are assumptions made about her. In this episode, we challenge those ideas, go to the places she lived and worked, and explore why she remains such a powerful influence on artists today. 
     “A normal person from Wakefield, a remarkable artist but a remarkable woman.” Eleanor Clayton, Curator, The Hepworth Wakefield. 

    With AMAZING contributions from:

    ·      Eleanor Clayton, Curator, The Hepworth Wakefield·      Sara Matson, Curator, Tate St Ives·      Stephen Feeke, Curator and Writer
    ·      Clare Lilley, Director of Programme, Yorkshire Sculpture Park

    In the episode, we visit these incredible places associated with Hepworth's career and legacy:
    The Hepworth, Wakefield
    Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden (Tate), St Ives
    Yorkshire Sculpture Park

    For the art works discussed in this episode and more images related to our research on Hepworth, visit @sculptinglives on Instagram

    Image: Dame Barbara Hepworth, Corymb, 1959, bronze, 33.7 x 34.5 x 25.6 cm. Collection Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, Tate St Ives (T12281). © Bowness
    50 min
  • S1 Ep1: Sculpting Lives: Trailer
    Dame Barbara Hepworth, Dame Elisabeth Frink, Kim Lim, Phyllida Barlow,  and Rana Begum - some of the most globally well-known British artists are women sculptors. Conversely, the profession and practice of sculpture was seen by many throughout the 20th century (and before) to be very much a man’s world. Often using heavy and hard materials, sculpture was not typically viewed as suitable for women artists. 

    The Sculpting Lives podcast series explores the lives and careers of these five women who worked (and are still working) against these preconceptions, forging successful careers and contributing in ground-breaking ways to the histories of sculpture and art.  Each 45-minute episode takes a woman sculptor as its subject, exploring the art works, networks, connections and relationships of these artists. Every programme is recorded in places that are significant for these women – their studios, as well as galleries and public places where their work is on display – and includes new interviews with curators, friends, family and the artists themselves, creating intimate soundscapes of their private and public worlds 
    Sculpting Lives is written and presented by Jo Baring (Director of the Ingram Collection of Modern British & Contemporary Art) and Sarah Turner (Deputy Director for Research at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in London). The pair bring their shared expertise and infectious enthusiasm for sculpture to this series, with each episode taking the form of an informal and lively conversation between Jo, Sarah and their interviewees.  
    1 min

About Sculpting Lives

From the publisher's feed

Sculpting Lives is a podcast series written and presented by Jo Baring (Director of the Ingram Collection of Modern British & Contemporary Art) and Sarah Victoria Turner (Deputy Director at the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in London).