Installation View: Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993 (1993) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965–75, curated by artist, curator and critic Jon Thompson, was the first major international sculpture show to explore the period spanning from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s in its international context.
Luciano Fabro, Spatial Conception after Watteau (1971). Installation view: Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993. Photo: Claudio Silvestrin (1993) by Luciano FabroHayward Gallery
The exhibition presented around 60 works by 20 artists who had never before shown together on such a scale.
Installation View: Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993 (1993) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
Its title, taken from a book by the philosopher Simone Weil, captured the spirit that informed many of the works in the exhibition, which was characterised by Thompson as a ‘combination of material strength, of earth-boundness, with high seriousness and conceptual elegance.’
Richard Long, Three Circles of Stones (1972). Installation view: Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993. Photo: Claudio Silvestrin (1993) by Richard LongHayward Gallery
Richard Long exhibited his Three Circles of Stones (1972) on one of the sculpture terraces.
Exhibition Proposal for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery Exhibition Proposal for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
Gravity and Grace emerged from an early proposal by Jon Thompson focussing on Italian Arte Povera. This proposal was soon broadened out to include artists working in the UK and America between the mid-1960 and mid-1970s, with an emphasis on sculpture.
Press Release for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery Press Release for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1992) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
In the press release for the exhibition, Thompson summarised some of the radical developments of the period as follows: ‘New elements were introduced into sculpture: animals, plants, industrial materials; the process of manufacture was revealed; the human body was represented in new ways.’
Untitled (1967), Jannis Kounellis. Installation View: Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993. Photo: Martin Mayer (1993) by Jannis KounellisHayward Gallery
Among the works in Gravity and Grace was Jannis Kounellis’s Untitled (1967), which featured a live macaw, which received a large amount of press attention.
Press Cuttings for Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993Hayward Gallery
Press Cuttings for Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993Hayward Gallery
Exhibition Plans for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1991) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
The Italian architect Claudio Silvestrin was responsible for the design of the exhibition. Silvestrin’s pared-back installation was praised in many of the exhibition’s reviews. In Time Out critic Sarah Kent argued that he had ‘transformed the gallery into a minimalist artwork: a model of clarity’.
Hand-drawn Layout for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery Hand-drawn Layout for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1992)Hayward Gallery
Architect Claudio Silvestrin's exhibition drawings.
Hand-drawn Title Graphics for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery Hand-drawn Title Graphics for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1992) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
Exhibition Guide for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery Exhibition Guide for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1993)Hayward Gallery
In the exhibition guide, the show’s curator Jon Thompson drew attention to the ways in which the works were exhibited or encountered by the visitor:‘A great deal of work ... sits at our level. Pieces start on the floor where our feet are, and then lean against the wall or run along the floor. Gravity is very seldom circumvented; things happen naturally, art does not intervene to make miracles and create illusion.’
Poster for Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1993) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
31,000 people visited the exhibition, a higher figure than was expected by the exhibition’s organisers. According to Hayward Gallery Director Joanna Drew, ‘the majority of visitors were ... young, serious and deeply appreciative.’
Private View Card and Envelope for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery Private View Card and Envelope for Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery (1993)Hayward Gallery
Private view invitation to Gravity & Grace.
Fanny Adams's 'Honours List', Gravity & Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
The exhibition was criticised for featuring only one woman among 19 men, and was awarded a ‘black spot’ by the pseudonymous campaigner ‘Fanny Adams’.
Letter to organisers of Gravity & Grace from 'Fanny Adams' Letter to organisers of Gravity & Grace from 'Fanny Adams' (1992) by Hayward GalleryHayward Gallery
Press Cuttings for Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993 (1993)Hayward Gallery
Press cutting for Gravity & Grace.
Press Cuttings for Gravity and Grace: The Changing Condition of Sculpture 1965-75, Hayward Gallery, 1993 (1993)Hayward Gallery
Press cutting for Gravity & Grace.
