A major touring exhibition which challenged the male-dominated narratives of post-war British sculpture by presenting a diverse and significant range of ambitious work by women.
Breaking the Mould was the first major survey of post-war British sculpture by women. Presented across St Luke’s, The Box, and The Levinsky Gallery, University of Plymouth, the exhibition surveyed 75 years and explored the work of over 40 sculptors. It provided a radical recalibration, addressing the many accounts of British sculpture that have marginalised women or airbrushed their work from art history altogether.
All of the works were selected from the Arts Council Collection, which holds more than 250 sculptures by over 150 women. Many of the represented artists have challenged widespread notions of sculpture as a ‘male occupation’ by embracing new materials, subjects and approaches. Others have avoided institutional bias by producing work for alternative spaces or public sites.
The works in Breaking the Mould were arranged into three loose groups exploring the figure, abstraction and found objects. These accessible themes enabled a range of shared concerns to emerge across time, space and material. Figured and Formed could be explored at St Luke's, and Found at The Levinsky Gallery, alongside a resource and activity area.
The Levinsky Gallery: Phyllida Barlow; Alice Channer; Susan Collis; Jane Coyle; Rose Finn-Kelcey; Jessie Flood-Paddock; Anya Gallacccio; Anthea Hamilton; Helen Marten; Emma Park; Cornelia Parker; Amalia Pica; Veronica Ryan; Hayley Tomkins; Rachel Whiteread.
St Luke’s: Anthea Alley; Phyllida Barlow; Rana Begum; Helen Chadwick; Alice Channer; Lygia Clark; Shelagh Cluett; Katie Cuddon; Sokari Douglas Camp; Frink; Elisabeth Frink; Katherine Gili; Mona Hatoum; Jann Haworth; Holly Hendry; Barbara Hepworth; Shirazeh Houshiary; Karin Jonzen; Permindar Kaur; Mary Kelly; Liliane Lijn; Kim Lim; Gillian Lowndes; Sarah Lucas; Mary Martin; Cathy De Monchaux; Lucia Nogueira; Margaret Organ; Kathy Prendergast; Eva Rothschild; Meg Rutherford; Grace Schwindt; Wendy Taylor; Shelagh Wakely; Rebecca Warren; Alison Wilding; Rosemary Young.
Breaking the Mould was an Arts Council Collection Touring Exhibition, delivered by The Box and The Arts Institute, University of Plymouth partnership.
