Description
Jeff Lowe: Sculpture is the first monograph dedicated to the work of this British sculptor, looking at nearly sixty years of work and creative activity from the late 1960s onwards. Lowe’s formidable talent as a sculptor was first spotted by sculptors Gerard Hemsworth, Anthony Caro and William Tucker while Lowe was studying at Leicester College of Art. He was soon enrolled at St Martin’s School of Art in London, where he spent four years studying sculpture. This new publication looks closely at these early foundational years and at Lowe’s critical engagements with the works of the ‘New Generation’ sculptors of the 1960s and 1970s. The language of sculpture he was negotiating at that time is still one he is exploring and developing today.
The introduction analyses Lowe’s developing sculptural imagination, looking at ways he has worked not only in steel, but also in wood, clay and other metals, sometimes within the same work. It also looks at how he has worked subtly across different surfaces, patinas and colours, describing a restless creative energy that is always looking for new possibilities for freestanding sculpture, indoors and outdoors. The studio as a context for the making and display of his work plays an important role in this book and information about the various studios and architectural environments for his working practice are provided. The relationship between architecture and sculpture is important in Lowe’s artistic thinking and attention will be given to his recent studio-home and gallery.
The book plots the development of his work across six decades, from the 1970s to the 2020s. It looks at key bodies of works and at the exhibitions in which these works have been shown, including significant early group shows such as The Condition of Sculpture (1975) and A Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Contemporary British Sculpture (1977) in London.
Jeff Lowe was born in Leigh in 1952. He studied at Leicester College of Art (1970-71) before completing four years studying sculpture at St Martin’s School of Art in London (1971-75). His work was championed early on in the 1970s and included in exhibitions such as The Condition of Sculpture (1975) and A Silver Jubilee Exhibition of Contemporary British Sculpture (1977) in London. He has received numerous awards for his sculpture, including the Sainsbury and Pollock-Krasner awards, He has also taught sculpture in several art schools, including St Martin’s School of Art, Reading University and Canterbury College of Art.
