World class sculpture at Doddington Hall

Doddington Hall is to host its fourth Sculpture at Doddington event from the end of this month – and it will be the largest yet, thanks to the addition of an extended indoor exhibition.
The impressive Elizabethan hall and grounds will provide the perfect backdrop for more than 300 sculptures, which are being transported from all corners of the UK as well as overseas. The carefully curated exhibition, which takes place between Saturday 28th July and Sunday 9th September, will showcase eighty of the world’s best-known sculptors.

Collectors, art lovers and garden enthusiasts alike will be able to view the inspiring works of art as they stroll through the historic walled gardens and parkland. Once they reach the Stable Yard area, they will find indoor gallery spaces displaying up to 120 sculptures alongside a new ceramics exhibition. It will be the first time Doddington has hosted a ceramics show.

“Our previous Sculpture at Doddington exhibitions have proved popular but we are particularly excited about this year’s offer, as there will be even more to view,” said Claire Birch, who with her husband James, lives in the hall. “We will be bringing pieces created by national and international sculptors right here to Lincolnshire for this limited period.”

“There will be new and exciting pieces not seen before at Doddington and we’ll be offering the opportunity for collectors, landscapers and art lovers to discover and buy new pieces from the exhibition for their collection.”

“This largely open-air exhibition offers such a broad and eclectic collection from the classic to the contemporary and in a variety of mediums. We’re confident it will have wide appeal as it has something for everyone to enjoy and we hope to welcome and inspire people across the generations.”

The exhibition, which has been curated by David Waghorne, will showcase extraordinary pieces including work from Heather Jansch, famous for her lifesize horses shaped in driftwood resin and bronze. She has previously exhibited with Barbara Hepworth, Elizabeth Frink, Anish Kapoor and Anthony Gormley and her work is shown in Italy, France, and the US.

Other sculptors to be featured will include Michael Speller, who is known for his figurative work and exhibits in London and throughout the States. Tom Hiscocks, whose work appears in private collections across the UK, Europe, the Far East, and America, will also be showcased at Doddington. They will be joined by renowned environmental sculptor, Diane Maclean, and Julian Meredith, known for his landscape sculptures. Anne Curry will also form part of this eminent line-up. In the last three years she has exhibited and sold in Venice, London, Paris, Geneva and Bordeaux. Commissions for her abstract work can be seen in the Painswick Rococo Gardens, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, and the Kruidberg Estate in the Netherlands. It will also include pieces from Susie Wilson fresh from exhibiting at Cheltenham Festival 2018.

Doddington Hall, an example of a fine late Elizabethan mansion was completed in 1600 and has never been sold since. It is still a lived-in and much-loved family home, and alive with history and interest. In 2007, Antony and Victoria Jarvis passed Doddington to their eldest daughter Claire, who with husband James is the latest generation of the family to enjoy the role of ‘guardian’ of the hall.

This year, Doddington Hall begins a new chapter with its first ever Ceramics Exhibition, which will be unveiled as part of Sculpture at Doddington 2018. Claire and James Birch are bringing something fresh and new to Doddington with this new show, housed in a light and airy studio in the Stable Yard with views across the estate. During the six-week exhibition there will also be hands-on workshops so people inspired by the exhibition can have a go at creating their own works of art.

Claire said: “We try to offer our visitors something fresh and different to see each year. There are many exciting developments this year and we are delighted to unveil the new Ceramics Exhibition. It promises to challenge people’s perceptions and will be both imaginative and inspiring.”

The collection has been curated with Preston Fitzgerald, who is well known for working with young emerging artists and has judged The Young Masters Mayliss Grand Ceramics Prize. Together they have shaped an exhibition that includes the modern and the classic and will feature the work of emerging artists, including recent graduates of The Royal College of Art, as well as established artists who have set the benchmark for British studio ceramics.

Artists have used mediums ranging from earthenware and stoneware to porcelain and techniques including wheel thrown pieces, hand built, slip cast and raku fired works. The show will exhibit figurative, sculptural and light works as well as functional wares such as vases, bowls and plates. The extent of the range means there are pieces to fit all tastes and budgets.

Ceramics fans will also have the opportunity to visit the hall on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays to see collections of ceramics amassed over the hundreds of years of unbroken family ownership at the hall. These include seventeenth- and eighteenth-century porcelain, and twentieth-century pottery.

Added Claire: “Over the years an eclectic collection of paintings, textiles and ceramics has grown at Doddington. Each generation has been responsible for adding to the collection. My parents, for example, developed a collection of British Studio Ceramics and their love of ceramics has been passed on to me. I am so pleased that we are hosting our first Ceramics Exhibition at Doddington.”

Sculpture at Doddington 2018 takes place from Saturday 28th July until Sunday 9th September and will be open daily between 11am and 4.30pm. All pieces will be available for sale. There is no extra admission cost for the exhibition as it is included in garden admission (£7 adults, £3.50 children, £18 family ticket). The house is also open on Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. There is an additional entry fee for the house.

The Ceramics Exhibition takes place in the Stable Yard Gallery between Saturday 28th July and Sunday 9th September and will be open daily between 11am and 4.30pm. All pieces will be available for sale. There is no extra admission cost for the Ceramics Exhibition.

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