Phyllida Barlow: Sculpture

The definitive survey of the British sculptor who generated cheeky constructions from low-grade materials

Published with Fruitmarket Gallery.

For over 50 years, British artist Phyllida Barlow (1944-2023) created imposing installations and sculptures marked by their distinct tonal balance--both menacing and playful, formidable and absurd. Her large-scale, yet "anti-monumental" (her own words) sculptures are constructed with inexpensive, low-grade materials such as cardboard, fabric, plywood, polystyrene, scrim, plaster and cement. Treated with a loose application of vibrantly hued paints, her sculptures often reveal the seams of their materiality. Upon witnessing the ruin and reconstruction of postwar London, Barlow developed an eye wryly trained toward industrial society, in all its gloom and whimsy. In her practice, Barlow transmuted her observations, producing tactile, seemingly precarious sculptures that stretch the limits of mass, volume and height as they block, straddle and balance. This definitive retrospective publication covers the full span of Barlow's career and demonstrates her range in style and approach.