Ideas for Sculpture: Drawings and Maquettes

Organised by : Pallant House Gallery

Discover the importance of drawings and maquettes that help the imaginations of artists come to life.

Preparation for creating sculpture not only entails planning the finished structure—often it involves making drawings or maquettes in order to visualise or play with form. Henry Moore thought of his works on paper as generative Ideas for Sculpture: a title he used often for experimental drawings.

This display presents drawings and maquettes in the Gallerys collection that have been part of the production of some iconic works. Sculptors engage in the creative process in different ways through direct preparatory studies and complementary works. They achieve this in a myriad of mediums, including wax, drafting film, plaster, bronze, and charcoal. The selection here explores a range of  themes: experimenting with the human and animal forms, transforming abstract monuments and ceramics, exploring sound and spiritual contemplation. It presents modern and contemporary sculptural work from Henry Moore to Shirazeh Houshiary, spanning the Gallerys collecting history from the 1980s to now.