From March 17, Kettle鈥檚 Yard will present a major exhibition to mark the centenary of the death in the First World War of the French-born sculptor and draughtsman Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915).
From March 17, Kettle鈥檚 Yard will present a major exhibition to mark the centenary of the death in the First World War of the French-born sculptor and draughtsman Henri Gaudier-Brzeska (1891-1915).
A great spirit has been among us, and a great artist is gone.
Ezra Pound
Gaudier-Brzeska moved permanently to London in January 1911. He made a significant contribution to the development of modern sculpture as one of the key members of the Vorticist movement and by influencing a later generation of sculptors.
His precocious artistic talent was cut short by his death at the age of 23 while fighting for the French army in Neuville St Vaast, France, in 1915. As Ezra Pound wrote in 1916: 鈥楢 great spirit has been among us, and a great artist is gone鈥.
探花直播exhibition, NEW RHYTHMS Henri Gaudier-Brzeska: Art Dance and Movement in London 1911-1915,听is the first to explore the artist鈥檚 engagement with dance and movement. New Rhythms brings together sculpture, drawing, photography, film, and archive material, combining the strengths of Kettle鈥檚 Yard鈥檚 sculpture and drawing collections with important loans from national and international institutions.
探花直播exhibition includes work by Gaudier-Brzeska鈥檚 contemporaries David Bomberg, Jacob Epstein, Percy Wyndham Lewis, William Roberts, Auguste Rodin, Helen Saunders and others who engaged with the subject of dance.
Kettle鈥檚 Yard holds one of the largest collections of sculptures and drawings by Gaudier-Brzeska, acquired by the creator of Kettle鈥檚 Yard, Jim Ede in 1929. Ede went on to write the first seminal biography of Gaudier- Brzeska 鈥楽avage Messiah鈥 in 1930, using the letters that were exchanged between Gaudier-Brzeska and his partner Sophie Brzeska.
New Rhythms takes as its starting point Gaudier鈥 Brzeska鈥檚 two contrasting sculptures Red Stone Dancer and Dancer. 探花直播exhibition looks in detail at the inspirations for the two sculptures of 1913, using them as studies for a wider exploration of the artist鈥檚 interests in the subject and the cultural milieu in which he was working.
For example, his engagement with the dynamic performances of the Ballets Russes is brought to the fore through his bronze Firebird (1912). As well as exploring dance, New Rhythms will investigate the artist鈥檚 wider fascination with motion, the physical dynamism of bodily movement, and wrestling.
探花直播new dance trends that exploded onto pre鈥恮ar London stages and screens such as Apache dance from Paris and Tango, and performances by the Ballets Russes, will be represented through photographs, printed sources and film.
探花直播show culminates by asking how Gaudier鈥怋rzeska鈥檚 dancers can inspire new rhythms now, through a contemporary dance and music commission. 探花直播work by Malgorzata Dzierzon, performed to new music commissioned from emerging composer Kate Whitley, will feature in the exhibition through film.
This will be the final exhibition at Kettle鈥檚 Yard before closing for a major development of the site and offers a chance for visitors to enjoy the house and an exhibition intimately linked to it and the permanent collection. It closes on June 21, 2015.
For more about the development plans and off site activity visit .
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探花直播exhibition will tour with selected works to Harewood House, Leeds, from 11 July to 1 November 2015 and is supported by the Henry Moore Foundation.
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