The first catalogue raisonne of the sculptural works of the 20th century British artist Elizabeth Frink is to be published. Dame Elisabeth Frink RA died at the age of just 62, on 18 April 1993. Now, twenty years after her death Lund Humphries in close association with the Frink Estate is proud to publish the first complete catalogue raisonné of her sculpture.
The publication of, Elisabeth Frink – Catalogue Raisonné of Sculpture 1947- 93 coincides with two important exhibitions of Frink’s work, one at Beaux Arts in London (10 April to 18 May 2013), which has been Frink’s gallery since the early 1950s, and a major retrospective at The Lightbox in Woking (19 February to 21 April 2013). This retrospective exhibition of her work is largely devoted to her figurative work, with which she conveys emotion, vulnerability and aggression through her powerful artworks, which continue to generate debate. The exhibition, the first retrospective of Frink’s work for over 25 years, largely consists of work from the Ingram Collection of Modern British Art, with additional loans coming from the Elisabeth Frink estate.
Elisabeth Frink was a leading British sculptor and printmaker whose work is distinguished by her commitment to naturalistic forms and themes. Her subjects included men, birds, dogs, horses and religious motifs, and she concentrated on bronze outdoor sculpture with a scarred surface. Elisabeth Frink – Catalogue Raisonné of Sculpture 1947-93, edited by Annette Ratuszniak documents for the first time her complete sculptural output in a single volume. The catalogue is complemented by a range of essays written by experts on Frink’s oeuvre, which place her art in the context of 20th-century figurative sculpture and establish the sculptor’s importance within this history. Julian Spalding explores the themes which preoccupied her – the brutalism of war, human fear and anxiety, the male body and the vulnerability of animals – and their powerful expression in her sculpture. An essay by Arie Hartog assesses Frink’s wider contribution to figurative sculpture in the 20th century and Michael Morpurgo’s lyrical short story ‘Muck and Magic’, written in memory of Frink, offers a more personal tribute to the artist. The Foreword is written by Frink’s son Lin Jammet. Lin Jammet is available for interviews.
The catalogue is fully illustrated with reproductions of over 400 works, many previously unpublished, and fascinating images of Frink at work in her studio. Also including updated lists of exhibitions and public collections and a comprehensive bibliography, this book is an invaluable resource for collectors, curators, dealers, art historians and all those with an interest in this distinguished British artist.
Elisabeth Frink Catalogue Raisonne of Sculpture 1947-93 Published Edited by Annette Ratuszniak, with a Foreword by Lin Jammet Contributions by Leo A. Daly, Arie Hartog, Michael Morpurgo and Julian Spalding