This is an updated survey of the work of British sculptor, Richard Deacon, including sculptures, installations, drawings and models. The book presents Deacon's works photographed in his studio, in galleries around the world, and in public sites in Europe, Japan and America. Pier Luigi Tazzi explores key themes in contemporary sculpture from a European perspective; Jon Thompson provides a survey of the artist's key works, tracing the genealogy of Deacon's work in relation to language; Peter Schjeldahl focuses on a work called "Keeping the Faith"; and Deacon selects a text by Mary Douglas on the meaning of dirt. Richard Deacon is one of a generation of sculptors who emerged in Britain in the 1980s. His sculptures are abstracts, primarily made of wood or steel. He uses the construction techniques of boat-building or aviation to make room-sized sculptures which are like drawings in space. They trace outlines, expose frameworks, form curvilinear skins, and create volumes, reminiscent of pots, vessels, vehicles and body parts. His work has been commissioned for sites in Plymouth, Newcastle, Tokyo, Montreal, Munster, Antwerp and Maastricht.
This text charts all Deacon's important work from his earliest "performance" work through his exploration of form and space using wood, metal, plastic and linoleum. His works are photogenic and multidimensional lending themselves to a variety of visual explorations. They are also constructed "space invaders", with the artist employing techniques of engineering, boat building or aviation. They also relate to the body with clear anatomical references which can be overtly erotic. Deacon is also very involved in language and poetry, the work of Rilke being particularly influential on him. The book is part of a series of studies of important artists of the late-20th century. Each title offers a comprehensive survey of the artist's work, providing analyses and multiple perspectives on contemporary art and its inspiration.
Author Biography
Jon Thompson is a British artist, teacher, writer and curator. He was Head of Fine Arts at Goldsmith's College, London (1970-92) and is currently Head of Fine Art Studies at the Jan Van Eyck Academy in Maastricht, Netherlands. He co-curated with Greg Hilty the exhibition 'Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture' in 1993 at the Hayward Gallery, London.
Pier Luigi Tazzi is an art critic and curator based in Florence. Formerly a lecturer at the University of Florence (1976-89), he has contributed to such art journals as Artforum, Museumjournaal and Wolkenkratzer. Tazzi was among the curators of the 42nd Venice Biennale (1988) and was Associate Director of Documenta 9 (1992).
Peter Schjeldahl is Art Critic for the New Yorker. Scheldjahl has also written for Artforum, Parkett, Art News, Frieze and Art Press. His books include The Hydrogen Jukebox: Selected Writings 1978-1990 (1991) and Columns & Catalogues (1994) as well as five books of poetry; his writings have also appeared in the three editions of Art of Our Time: The Saatchi Collection.
Penelope Curtis is Head of Programmes at the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, where she has organized historical contextualizing exhibitions of the work of distinguished late twentieth-century sculptors such as Giuseppe Penone and Michelangelo Pistoletto, as well as exhibitions, commissions and special projects with younger generation sculptors.
