Solo exhibition by British sculptor Richard Deacon on view at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, November 4, 2024


Solo exhibition by British sculptor Richard Deacon on view at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
Installation view.



PARIS.- Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac is presenting Thirty Pieces, a solo exhibition by British sculptor Richard Deacon. Thirty works are on display, 20 new sculptures in various materials and 10 works on paper. As the artist states: “This is my fourth show in the space and I very deliberately did not want to have one or two dominant major pieces but to have an installation that you have to pick your way through and which has multiple voices.” Presented on tables of two different heights, the sculptures open up new directions in the artist’s work. In the past Deacon has always tended to use the floor as surface, the introduction of two surface heights initiates a sense of uncertainty.

In many respects, the installation reveals the porosity between the artist’s studio and the exhibition space. “I think showing what you do is implicit in the act of making art, and there are models for doing it. The exhibition is currently one of the strongest models around. For artists, to make an exhibition is to a greater or lesser extent a continuation of what happens in the studio.” (Interview with Pier Luigi Tazzi in Richard Deacon (London, Phaidon, 2000)

Working on a domestic scale was also the occasion to further develop his virtuosity in sculpting wood, stone or stainless steel but also to experiment with new materials such as glazed refractory concrete. Deacon remains faithful to the principle of craftsmanship that has driven his practice since the beginning of his career. For instance, the stone works are all made from a cache of stone and concrete lumps that he extracts directly from a builder trash.

Scattered in sub-groups, the sculptures can be apprehended either autonomously or as a whole. Although there is no specific reason for the artist to decide to show thirty pieces, the title unfolds different associations. It follows a minimal gesture of self-referencing, while also carrying other connotations. It is notably evocative of the thirty pieces of silver Judas was given to betray Jesus, as reported in the Gospel of Matthew; an episode represented many times in religious paintings. Throughout his career Deacon has placed as much an emphasis on language as he has on materiality. This reflects a deep-rooted interest that stems from his reading of poetic, and philosophical texts amongst others.

Born in 1949 in Wales, Richard Deacon lives and works in London. He has occupied the foreground of British sculpture since the early 1980s. His works combine organic forms with elements of engineering. His early career was already marked by experiments with diverse materials and forms of artistic expression, which included performance, photography and drawing. Typical of his work is his keen interest in the specific consistency of the materials used, ranging from laminated wood to concrete, PVC, stainless steel and ceramics. Deacon's sculptures appear as complex lineaments, rhythmic intertextures or organic objects, impressive in their interpenetration of form, surface and space. Deacon describes himself as a ‘fabricator’, emphasizing the construction behind the finished object.

Recent solo exhibitions include Langen Foundation, Neuss, Germany (2016-17); Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany (2016), Kunstmuseum Winterthur, Switzerland (2015); Tate Britain, London, UK (2014); Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany (2011); Musée de la Ville de Strasbourg, France (2010); Portland Art Museum, Oregon, USA (2008); PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, USA (2001). Richard Deacon was awarded the Turner Prize in 1987. He participated in documenta 9, Kassel, Germany in 1992 and represented Wales at the Venice Biennial, Italy in 2007. Richard Deacon has just been awarded the Ernst Franz Vogelmann-Preis for Sculpture and will have a solo exhibition at Städtische Museen Heilbronn in Fall 2017.










Today's News

April 4, 2017

Treasures from the Hispanic Society of America shine at Madrid's Prado Museum

Inaugural Asia Week New York Contemporary set to debut May 2-10

Remains of ancient pyramid found in Egypt

First gay British art exhibition opens in London

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao examines the thirty-year career of Pello Irazu

Block Museum receives major gift of photography by Edward Steichen

Christie's announces highlights from its annual Milan Modern and Contemporary auction

Christie's to offer works from the Emily and Jerry Spiegel Collection

Phillips announces highlights from the upcoming auction of Editions and Works on Paper

Exhibition at Pier 24 Photography examines the work of ten photographers

New commission by Shahzia Sikander to go on show at the Princeton University Art Museum

Solo exhibition by British sculptor Richard Deacon on view at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac

Mike Nichols' The Graduate- New 4K restoration to be released nationwide for 50th anniversary

Fans bid $788,000 for relics from Knott's Berry Farm archives

Brooklyn-based photographer, Grace Morgan, brings international street art to Court Street

Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg to display hats of Civil Rights leader Dr. Dorothy Irene Height

Zabludowicz Collection exhibits works produced over a 40 year period by 14 artists

Art Museum Riga Bourse exhibits twelve masterpieces from the Prado

Handbag designer Judith Leiber's life and craft explored in new exhibition

Large-scale installation by Anselm Kiefer on view at Copenhagen Contemporary

Oscar Wilde and 'Bosie' portraits by Marlene Dumas go on display at the National Portrait Gallery

A new biennial for the Baltics and Nordic region: RIBOCA




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful