Hermann Obrist : Ornament and Line

3 Jun-29 Aug 2010

Overview

'Ornament and Line: Hermann Obrist as Art Nouveau Sculptor'. Half-Scottish, half-German, Obrist (1862-1927) is known principally for one work: a spiralling plaster motif often compared to Vladimir Tatlin’s iconic but unrealised ‘Monument to Revolution’. Obrist worked mainly in the applied arts and architecture, using motifs drawn from the structure of plants and shells in both two and three-dimensions. The remarkable surviving plaster forms are arguably the first abstract sculptures and will be shown here for the first time in the UK. This exhibition is accompanied by Out of My Mouth: The Photosculptures of Alina Szapocznikow which show the remarkable series of chewing gum sculptures Szapocznikow (1926-73) made in 1971.