Collections

This display has been organised to coincide with the launch of 'Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, 1851-1951', a new online database of charting one hundred years of sculptural practice. This was the result of a major three-year research programme, supported by the AHRC, with additional funding from the British Academy and the Henry Moore Foundation, involving staff at Glasgow University, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Henry Moore Institute.

Between 1851 and 1951, the practice of sculpture expanded significantly in the United Kingdom. There was a growth in the number of museums, exhibiting societies, art association and teaching institutions, as well as an increase in the number of arts and crafts trades and sculpture-related businesses. The sculptor in this period was not just the sole creator, but one of a number of specialists and skilled workers who played crucial roles in sculpture's making. Sculpture thus leads a complex life in these years, inhabiting many places and spaces in this country: from the quarry and the stonemasons, to the foundry and ceramics workshops

The sculpture business forms the background to the display. It begins with a special focus on the Leeds War Memorial in Victoria Gardens (just outside the Art Gallery), setting out its history and the various trades and businesses, as well as the artists, involved in its production. The main part of the display brings together a range of objects and images from the Leeds sculpture and archive collections - from monuments to medals, washing line finials to garden implements - to demonstrate the broad scope of sculptural practice in the period. 

The 'Mapping' database can be accessed at: http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/.